Police jobs face the axe as ministers ‘cut deal’ to protect anti-terror budget

The prospect of big cuts in police numbers heightened today amid reports that counter-terrorism funding will be protected from the Government's purge on public spending.

Under a deal reportedly being discussed between Home Secretary Theresa May and Chancellor George Osborne, the £150 million budget for fighting terrorism is likely to be either maintained or pruned only marginally.

That would mean less money for mainstream policing, which was already facing cuts in the Government's spending review next week. Some predict that as many as 40,000 police jobs nationwide could be lost. Officials insisted that negotiations between Mrs May and Mr Osborne about the Home Office budget were still continuing, and pointed out the impact upon police numbers will depend on how forces respond to the Government's call for greater efficiency.

But the Home Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government, which together provide about £9.5 billion of the £12.65 billion total police funding, are expected to suffer budget cuts of as much as 25 per cent.

The rest of police funding comes from the council tax precept — which is also likely to be reduced — leaving forces, which spend the bulk of their money on employing officers, with significantly reduced income.

The Met has disclosed that it intends to recruit 900 fewer officers next year than previously planned, and more cuts are likely to follow if the spending review further reduces its budget.

One reason for the apparent attempt to protect counter-terrorism funding is the continued risk of an attack by Islamist extremists, illustrated by the recent US warning about the likelihood of an atrocity in Europe and the disruption of an alleged al Qaeda plot. The raised threat posed by dissident Irish republicans and the 2012 London Olympics are other key factors.