A CRISIS in policing is looming and officers will soon have to start saying "no" to callouts, the Police Federation is claiming.

The Greater Manchester chairman Ian Hanson says budget cuts and the loss of 3,000 officers — the equivalent of the Bolton division four times over — has left the force heading for a "meltdown".

He added that neighbourhood policing is in danger, and officers will soon only be able to react to incidents rather than proactively drive crime down.

But Ch Supt Shaun Donnellan, Bolton's most senior officer, said that “neighbourhood policing is at the heart of policing in Bolton” and that he would do “everything” in his power to protect it.

The federation is launching a #WhatDoWeStop campaign, highlighting their fears that they will be unable to provide all aspects of policing the public are used to.

Insp Hanson said: "It is having a massive impact on communities such as Bolton, as we have made massive reductions in community policing.

"My fear is that we are going back to the reactive policing of the 1970s.

"The great success story of the last 20 years is how we have driven crime down by going out and preventing it.

"We are heading for a meltdown.

"We have seen the NHS declare major incidents at hospitals. Police forces could be doing that soon.

"We never say no. We are the callout of last resort, doing things when other agencies cannot.

"We might have to start saying no."

The federation says £185 million has been slashed from the area's budget since 2010, while officer numbers have plunged from 8,200 to fewer than 5,000.

Greater Manchester Police deals with 532 crimes, arrests 178 people, attends 90 road accidents and launches 27 missing person searches on an average day.

Ch Supt Donnellan insists he will still be able to police Bolton effectively, however, saying: "We are not going back to the dark ages - neighbourhood policing in Bolton is safe.

"Nothing will happen to it as long as I am serving as a police officer.

"I remember the 1980s and the price we had to pay and we will not be going back to those days." 

The #WhatDoWeStop campaign will spend the summer and autumn highlighting the consequences of cuts to policing budgets in Greater Manchester.