Amber Rudd admitted she had not seen the Home Office report which said police cuts “likely contributed” to the rise in serious violent crime, on the day she launches a new Government strategy.
The Home Secretary added that it is a “mistake” to link crime to police numbers alone and that it is a more “complex” matter.
Today leaked Home Office documents said Government cuts to the police “may have encouraged” violent offenders, as part of a study in February.
The leaked documents come a day after Ms Rudd wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that police cuts are not to blame for rising crime.
Since the Conservatives came to power, the number of police officers fell from 143,734 in March 2010 to 123,142...