Changes to police pensions could more than wipe out any gains from a higher charge on council tax

Up to 10,000 more police officers’ jobs could be cut because forces face a funding shortfall of nearly £600 million over two years caused by proposed pension changes, it emerged today.

Police chiefs have been told to find another £165 million in 2019-20 and up to £417 million in 2020-21 as a result of an overhaul of public service pension schemes announced recently by the Treasury.

The revelation, only a day after a chief constable warned that forces were at a “tipping point”, will add to concerns that demand far outweighs the police service budget. Dave Thompson, the head of West Midlands police, said yesterday that the service was in danger of “pursuing efficiency to the point of ineffectiveness” and that budget cuts had resulted