GREATER Manchester Police's funding has been cut by £6.4 million to pay for other schemes - including extra funding for the City of London Police.

Crime commissioner Tony Lloyd blasted the move, which will see funding diverted to projects including:

  • Allowing people to join the police service at a senior rank without having to have to walk the beat.
  • Paying for the Independent Police Complaints Commission
  • Funding the City of London police, the country's smallest police force, which mainly runs a specialised fraud operation to protect the UK's banking industry.

Mr Lloyd said: “Be in no doubt – this is money that is being taken directly from frontline policing here in Greater Manchester.

"It is funding that the chief constable could and should be using to keep the people I represent safe.

"Instead it is being used to fund pet projects that will be of little or no benefit to the people of Greater Manchester.

“The idea that the banking sector is to get extra protection at the expense of Greater Manchester residents is extraordinary.

"Forcing Greater Manchester Police to pay for a scheme to allow people to enter the police service at senior ranks, when I will not be introducing this unpopular and patronising measure, is just wrong.

“And taking money out of the police to give to the Independent Police Complaints Commission at a time when that organisation is largely discredited and the entire area of police integrity is in need of urgent review is foolhardy.

“We were always expecting the government to do something like this, but the amount they are clawing back is outrageous.”

He added that he was writing to the home secretary to demand she justifies the additional cuts, which he claims could pay for 145 police officers or 210 PCSOs.

Changes to the way in which police funding is calculated will result in an additional £2 million cut from GMP’s budget.

The £6.4 million of extra cuts breaks down as follows:

  • Police Innovation Fund £2.65m
  • IPCC - £0.95 million
  • HMIC inspection - £0.48 million
  • Direct entry scheme - £0.16 million
  • City of London Police - £0.11 million
  • National Police Coordination Centre - £0.05 million
  • Funding formula changes - £2 million
  • Total - £6.4 million