Fifty operational police posts will be cut including the jobs of 35 front line police officers unless Surrey Police Authority wins its court battle with the Government.

The authority’s chairman Peter Williams and Surrey’s Chief Constable Mark Rowley are to seek a judicial review over the Government’s decision to cap the budget set by the Authority this year.

Local Government Minister John Healey confirmed earlier this month that the Surrey Police Authority (SPA) will have to set a lower council tax in 2009-10, forcing the chief constable to cut 50 posts and forcing a re-billing of Surrey residents, despite the cost of £1.2million to return just six pence a week for the average Band D property.

Surrey Police Authority Chairman Peter Williams has branded the decision ‘irrational, unreasonable and indefensible’ and ‘seeming to defy financial logic’.

Chief Constable Mark Rowley said: “Capping is leading me to immediately cut 50 key operational posts - I simply have nowhere else to go having already lost 144 staff posts under an extremely tough budget for 2009/10.

“The 50 operational posts that I will have to lose - including 35 police officers - will involve safer neighbourhood officers working with young people in schools and giving crime reduction advice, major crime investigators, officers working in Special Branch, the forensics department, and officers from roads policing.

“These cuts will undermine the resilience of the policing service Surrey residents currently have, and will result in officers being pulled away from other visible front line duties to fulfil these specialist roles.

“Half of the criminal activity in the county originates from outside Surrey - mostly London - and ranges from burglary to organised crime and murder. The national funding formula gives me no money towards the £40m annual cost of these cross border threats.

“I have a responsibility to keep Surrey citizens safe.

"A reduction in our budget every year can only result in an erosion of the level of service that Surrey Police will be able to provide.”

John Healey is taking action against both Surrey and Derbyshire police forces.

He said:”In this his tough economic climate council taxpayers are rightly looking to their local authorities to provide good value for money and keep council tax bills down.

"The action we are taking should send a message loud and clear to all authorities - that the Government will take tough action to protect council taxpayers, including requiring authorities to rebill where necessary."

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