MOD Police cut by two-thirds

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 1st Aug 2007

The number of Ministry of Defence Police Officers patrolling Colchester Garrison has been cut from 32 to just nine since the Labour Government was elected ten years ago.

The shock figures have been revealed in a Parliamentary Answer to a Question tabled by Colchester MP Bob Russell who today described the cut of more than two-thirds "as totally unacceptable".

He added: "The cuts in MOD Police have meant that Essex Police are having to provide cover for the areas where military families live.

"This has to be to the detriment of policing levels right across South Colchester - from Prettygate through Shrub End to Monkwick and beyond - because there is no way that Essex Police have deployed an extra 23 Police Officers to make up for the MOD Police cuts."

The Parliamentary Question from Liberal Democrat Mr Russell asked how many Police were employed at Colchester Garrison in May 1997, May 2001, May 2005 and currently.

The Written Answer gave the number of MOD Police at the four dates and a break-down of how many were Inspectors, Sergeants and Constables.

In May 1997 there was a total of 32 Officers - 1 Inspector, 5 Sergeants and 26 Constables. Today there are just 9 Officers - the equivalent of 2.5 Sergeants and 6.5 Constables.

Mr Russell, who is a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee and a member of the Liberal Democrat Defence team at the House of Commons, said that he would be pursuing the issue of the MOD Police cuts.

"At a time when the Colchester Garrison is growing, the MOD should not be cutting the number of Police - particularly when the Essex Police are expected to cover for the MOD which can only be achieved by stretching and diluting the Essex Police presence in civilian parts of Colchester."