SURREY’s Police and Crime Commissioner Kevin Hurley has expressed delight at the Chancellor’s ‘U-turn’ on police budget cuts.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne was expected to announce sweeping cuts to police funding in hisSpending Review, with Surrey Police anticipating a further £25 million cut to its budget over the next four years.

However, in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, Mr Osborne said: “Now is not the time for further police cuts, now is the time to back our police and give them the tools to do the job.”

The Government is yet to confirm police funding arrangements on a force-by-force basis, but Surrey police commissioner Mr Hurley welcomed the prospect of no real-term cuts to police funding.

He said: “I am very pleased that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has been listening to the outcry from me and others in the past few weeks, and has made a complete U-turn on police spending cuts.

“Following the atrocities in Paris and the consequent need for increased security all over Europe, it would have been irresponsible to reduce the number of officers in the community who are not only the eyes and ears of counter terrorism policing, but invariably first on the scene when something truly terrible happens.

“I have also made it clear that there are insufficient armed police units and that their weapons need updating to give them the firepower to combat any ISIS attack.

“In Surrey, as everywhere else in the country, we are experiencing dramatic and extreme changes in the nature of crime. Increased resources are needed not only in public protection, but also in online crime and visible policing. Child protection cases are up 450 per cent this year, child sexual exploitation has risen by 115 per net and honour-based violence is up by 400 per cent.

“The proposal to cut our ability to fight these evils in our society was never justifiable, and now we can breathe a great sigh of relief at this change of heart from George Osborne.”

A spokesman for Surrey Police said it is too early to know what the impact of Mr Osborne’s statement will be on the force, but added it is still pressing ahead with plans to restructure Surrey Police to cope with modern demands.

Last month, Surrey’s outgoing chief constable Lynne Owens announced a comprehensive new policing model for the force, including the cutting of up to 400 jobs over the next four years and merging of services with neighbouring forces and authorities.

The spokesman added these changes are driven by the changing demands on the police, not just budget cuts, and as such the Chancellor’s statement is not expected to significantly alter its plans.