At last…

…a minister has repudiated the Brownite axiom that spending is the sole indicator for healthy public services. Nick Herbert has said, unequivocally, that ‘cuts and good services are not mutually exclusive.’ Herbert, minister of state at the Home of Office, continued:

‘I don’t think we can go on playing this numbers game and say that we can automatically assume that every additional police officer recruited is bound to help deal with crime because I think what matters is what’s being done with those forces.’

Then he elaborated, mentioning the Independent Inspectorate of Constabulary’s opinion that the police can find £1bn in efficiency savings by cutting administrative duties. This would increase the number of officers who are ‘visible and available to the public’, currently standing at 11 percent of officers. Theoretically, crime would fall despite substantial spending cuts.

As Pete has argued, this is precisely the neat argument the government must make if it is to drown out Labour and the Unions’ bellicosity.