POLICING in Bolton is set to be hit once again by government cuts with GMP's budget set to be slashed by a further £28 million next year.

A five per cent funding cut for all forces was announced by policing minister Mike Penning in The House of Commons today.

The move has left GMP facing a £70 million funding black hole, with £157 million of savings to find over the next three years.

Bolton's police and crime commissioner Tony Lloyd has described the cuts as "unacceptable and disappointing".

The money being axed from the GMP budget could fund 560 police officers – with GMP having already lost 1,100 since 2010 with the loss of a further 800 to come.

Mr Lloyd said: “It’s unacceptable and disappointing that the ordinary, hard-working people of Greater Manchester are once again bearing the brunt of these irresponsible funding cuts.

“Policing Minister Mike Penning claims that this government is committed to providing police with the resources they need for their work. Today’s budget announcement shows that this is simply not true.

“In Greater Manchester we have not shied away from the financial challenges we face and have already transformed how policing is delivered and developed close working relationships with other agencies.

“We simply cannot cope with further cuts – the money is running out. The Government is putting the safety of our communities at risk.”

Nearly £12 million of the £28 million being clawed back from GMP's budget will pay for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and the City of London police. A surprise announcements was the top-slicing of the police budget to fund the Police Special Grant – a contingency pot of money that police can apply for to pay for unforeseen incidents and events such as mass protest or public disorder.

Tony added: “That ministers think it’s acceptable to claw back money to pay for schemes that will be of little benefit to local people and to shore up a complaints system that is in dire need of complete overhaul is ridiculous.

“The additional top-slicing of the budget to pay for the special grant fund is laughable."

Mr Penning said: "Police reform is working and crime has fallen by more than a fifth under this Government, according to the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales.

"There is no question police will still have the resources to do their important work.

"The police are making their contribution to reducing the deficit and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary recently found that forces are successfully meeting the challenge of balancing their books while protecting the front line and delivering reductions in crime.

"We have made it easier for the police to do their job by cutting red tape, scrapping unnecessary targets, and giving them the discretion to use their professional judgment."