article: It was widely anticipated the Spending Review would confirm the need for police efficiencies would remain at the top of the agenda, at least until 2020. The Home Office is not one of the favoured "protected" ministries shielded from cuts. And as 71% of its gross spending goes on crime and policing, that is where most of the department's cuts have bitten. Add to that Home Secretary Theresa May's determination to reform policing, and there was a strong sense the government would not change course. That was certainly the expectation at Manchester Town Hall, where chief constables and police and crime commissioners (PCCs) had gathered for their annual joint conference. At 12:30, a large group of them took their places around a television set in a room set aside for exhibitors to watch the chancellor's statement. The mood was sombre. Most chiefs and PCCs had been planning for cuts of 20-25%. The Inspectorate of Constabulary had suggested that by 2018, forces would have to shed at least 12,000 officer, staff and police community support officer (PCSO) posts, with further reductions after that. The inspectorate, known for its careful, measured commentary, warned some forces might not be able to withstand another round of cuts, because they were not efficient enough. It said the "operational viability" of some could be "in jeopardy". The National Police Chiefs Council, which co-ordinates the work of forces, feared the job losses would be even worse - 35,000 by 2020, which, Sara Thornton, who chairs the council, said in July, would be a "game changer". Constabularies with large urban areas stood to lose the most, as they tend to rely more on Home Office funding, among them Northumbria, which gets 85% of its income from central government, and the West Midlands, 83%. So, when the announcement came, towards the end of Mr Osborne's statement, that there would be no further policing cuts, there was genuine disbelief, mixed with delight. Kevin Hurley, Surrey's PCC, described the atmosphere as "euphoric", as though England had won the World Cup. Essex Chief Constable Steve Kavanagh held his hand over his mouth in shock. "I'm aghast," he said. At moments such as this, journalists reach for the official documents to look at the small print. Could it really be true? The Treasury statement appears unequivocal. "The government will protect overall police spending in line with inflation - an increase of Â£900m by 2019-20," it says. The Home Office press release, however, says the funding will enable individual forces to maintain their budgets at current cash levels. That means each force will not automatically get enough money to keep pace with inflation. They will get the same in 2019-20 as they are getting this year. Instead, extra funding will be distributed in certain specialist policing areas - firearms, tackling cybercrime and child sexual exploitation, some of which might be dealt with regionally - as well as to forces that demonstrate efficiencies. It is that extra funding that enables the government to say overall police funding is going up in real terms. In other words, the
summary: Finding savings and fending off cuts has dominated the policing debate in England and Wales for more than five years.