Over 14,000 British policemen may lose jobs

LONDON - Over 14,000 policemen may lose their jobs due to budget cuts in Britain, a media report said Tuesday.

Most of these jobs are in England and Wales, the Labour Party has claimed.

Shadow home secretary Ed Balls and his team surveyed police forces across the country. They said 16 out of 43 police forces have confirmed job losses totalling 14,482, according to Sky News.

Balls said his figures represented “just the tip of the iceberg”.

“The vast majority of police forces have not yet announced how many jobs will go and some of those which have are only currently putting figures on job losses for one year,” he said.

When the other forces announce how many roles they each expect will go, the final figure could be significantly higher, he said.

“Prime Minister David Cameron and his Home Secretary Theresa May totally failed to stand up for the police in the spending review negotiations and now we are starting to see the consequences of that mistake.”

The government seeks to cut Britain’s budget deficit within five years.

“The police are taking a much bigger hit than other vital public services. At a time of rising public protest, an ongoing terror threat, the security challenge of next year’s Olympics and an expensive reorganisation of policing, these cuts are a reckless and dangerous gamble,” Balls said.

“They will undermine the fight against crime and take unnecessary risks with national security and the safety of our communities. The government should go back to the drawing board and think again,” he added.