Crime burden: the reaction

'Inadequate resources and rising hate crime'

Peter Maddison, chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, said: "I do not feel I have adequate resources to deal with the changing and growing nature of Northamptonshire's population and all the county's public agencies have met with the Communities and Local Government minister John Healey to discuss the situation.

"The influx of migrants has brought extra pressures but we are not alone in this.

"It has certainly brought us increased expenditure around the greater use of interpreters and migrants of course can be victims as well as offenders and this has resulted in an increase in reported hate crimes."

'Under funded for years'

Meredydd Hughes, chief constable of South Yorkshire Police said: "Police costs for translation and interpretation have risen nationally year on year for some time, and South Yorkshire Police is no exception.

"As an urban force with significant migrant communities we have managed the increased burden within a funding regime that has left the Force under funded for many years and with fewer Police Officers per head of population than every other police force bar one.

"Police funding is a national major issue, and the growth of cost associated with new migrant communities is only one factor.

"We are proud of being one of the most financially efficient forces in the UK and will continue to provide the best service possible to all our communities."

'Extra work not taken into account'

Tim Brain, chief constable of Gloucestershire Police and the ACPO spokesman of police financing, said: "At a local level, police funding is determined by the size of the national grant set by the Home Secretary.

"The formula by which this is then distributed to the 43 police forces in England and Wales takes into account such factors as population and social demographics.

"While the extra process work associated with foreign nationals who may not be fluent in either the English language or the practicalities associated with the English legal system would not be taken into account, basic changes to the size of a population in an area caused by net immigration would be included.

"This year's overall settlement for policing just about kept pace with overall inflation and was a reasonable attempt at balancing competing priorities.

"No two police regions are the same however, and the distribution mechanism of the funding formula will mean that its effects are felt differently from one force to another."

'Pressure on a tight budget'

Mike Tonge, chief constable of Gwent Police, said: "Gwent is no different to any other area of the UK in us seeing a big increase in economic immigrants.

"It has been well documented that this increase has created issues around language, culture and social needs and for policing this has resulted in greater demands being placed upon us.

"In Gwent we have seen a change in the social mix across the whole of the country which has brought us opportunities as well as some challenges and like every other chief constable I have indicated to government that this has put pressure on our already tight budget."

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