West Midlands police face service reduction to fund Pope visit
The number of police officers on the beat in Birmingham may have to be slashed in a bid to foot the soaring cost of policing the Pope’s visit to the city next month.
Bob Jones, head of finance at West Midlands Police, said the force may have no choice but to reduce staffing levels to foot the multi-million pound bill to fund Pope Benedict XVI’s visit.
“We are already looking at reducing the number of staff and police officers in future years, but if we have to pay the costs of the [papal] visit, that process will be accelerated,” he said.
“Why should the people of the West Midlands face a lower level of service from the police because of a state visit? The Government should be funding this.”
Or, indeed, the Vatican!
The British Humanist Association is a founding member of the Protest the Pope campaign, demonstrating against the official nature of the Pope’s state visit next month.
“Why should the people of the West Midlands face a lower level of service from the police because of a state visit? The Government should be funding this.”
NO!!!!!!!!! The Government should not be funding this. The Government do not have any money. They have my money and every other taxpayer’s money! We should not have to pay one single penny towards the cost of this visit. The Roman Catholic Church has immense wealth and, if they want to send their head over here on a publicity trip, they should fund it.
I wonder….does the Pope realise the difficulties that the cost of his visit will impose on the British people?If he does know, does he care? He should, because it’s in his job description as a ‘shepherd. If he cares, should he do something about it, such as offer to fund it himself or cancel the visit? I would think so. The last thing he should want is that people suffer as a direct consequence of his visit.
If the Pope does not know, or does not care, or is not bothered to do something about it, then he is unfit to lead his Church.
@Ankhsey – an argument that sounds very familiar…. Epicurean, even! lol
Correct, Colin. I should have added at the end of my posting “with apologies to Epicurus”.
The West Midlands police would not need to “slash” police posts if they spent a little less on their PR machine spin doctors, telling us how well they’re doing!
They might also look to reducing the amount of wasted tax-payer’s money spent on fighting Employment Tribunal claims brought by staff and police officers, through total management incompetence and corruption.