Front line policing is "stretched" and forces need more investment, the Government has conceded amid calls for more bobbies on the beat.
Nick Hurd, the Policing Minister, said reductions in police numbers were not linked to a recent increase in violent crime but admitted that “there's no dispute about the pressure on the front line”.
It came after Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, yesterday warned police cuts were not to blame for rising crime and insisted forces have the officers and funding they need to tackle violence on Britain’s streets.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph as she unveiled a Serious Violence Task Force, Ms Rudd said the evidence “does not support” claims that “there are not enough...