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The Home Secretary's police chief brother warned years of cuts have forced him to "fundamentally review" resources, the Mirror can reveal.

Bas Javid, Chief Superintendent of Solihull Police, said boots on the ground "make the difference in crime" - weeks before his brother Sajid took office.

The number of police officers in England and Wales has plunged by 21,805 since the Tories took power in 2010.

The damning comments have emerged after Sajid praised his brother in a deeply personal speech at the Police Federation conference yesterday.

Bas, a police officer for 24 years, made his remarks in March to justify controversial plans to close Solihull Police Station.

He told local councillors: "We’re all aware of the reductions that have been made in numbers.

(Image: PA) (Image: Twitter)

"Just to remind you, we’ve gone from an organisation of 11,000 people to 8,000.

"And that means we need to fundamentally review, and continue to review but change, the way we deploy resources."

Ch Supt Javid, who previously warned "major budget cuts" had left a "VERY thin blue line", added: "In my humble experience people and boots on the ground make the difference in crime and to communities."

He insisted the current shakeup in Solihull would not cut numbers further, saying: "If I'm given the distinct choice between officers and buildings I would choose officers any day of the week."

But he admitted the policing model has "changed considerably" since 2010.

And he told how demand is so high that summer days were "like New Year's Eve", forcing officers to be "more agile and flexible".

(Image: PA)

In his major speech on Wednesday, Sajid Javid vowed to "reset the relationship" and "prioritise police funding" in next year's spending review.

In a deeply personal address, the Home Secretary told how Bas was called a "P*** b*****d" on duty and missed Christmas due to having his jaw dislocated.

He added: "I get it. I get that there is increased demand."

But the Tory minister stopped short of promising any new funds immediately.

Shadow Policing Minister Louise Haigh said: "Sajid Javid has voted for every single reckless police cut over the last eight years, leading to the loss of 21,000 officers.

"If he won’t listen to Home Office experts, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police or rank and file bobbies all of whom tell him the damage this has done, then let’s hope he will at least listen to his own brother."