Responding to the 2014/15 Police Settlement, National Policing Lead on Finance and Resources, Chief Constable Nick Gargan, said:

"The Police Service understands that Government continues to find itself in a difficult funding environment. Police forces across England and Wales acknowledge that, in common with most other public services, we must share the burden of funding reductions announced in recent Spending Reviews. The Autumn Statement 2013 imposed additional budget reductions on the Home Office of £118 million and £113 million in 2014/15 and 2015/16 respectively.

"The Police Service welcomes the Home Secretary's decision to protect the Police from the Home Office additional budget reduction in 2014/15. However, the Home Office has also indicated that money will be taken from forces to fund a number of new initiatives (for the Innovation Fund, Independent Police Complaints Commission, National Police Co-ordination Centre, the College of Policing, the Capital City Grant and the new Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary inspection programme). This means that forces will face a 4.8% cut, rather than the 3.3% grant reduction that was originally anticipated. These top-slices reduce the amount of grant funds available to individual forces to use at their discretion."

"Despite the financial pressures, Forces up and down the country continue to do amazingly well at serving the public whilst simultaneously dealing with the increasing effect of austerity on the Police, its partners and the general public. 2014/15 and 2015/16 will be challenging years for the Police. So far, forces have largely restricted the impact of cuts on the public. Home Office protection from the additional cuts in 2014/15 will assist forces in balancing their budgets at a time when we are dealing with increasing cost pressures (such as inflation and pension contributions) and increasing service demands as a result of budget and service reductions facing many of our partner agencies."