Volunteers ‘could work for police on child sex abuse and terror cases’ following funding cuts

James Brokenshire, the policing minister, said 'we should not make assumptions' about where volunteers can contribute

There are currently at least 9,000 volunteers working with police forces (Reuters)

Volunteers may be used to help the police during terrorist attacks or sex crime cases – including those involving the abuse of children – following severe cuts to police budgets.

The government announced in January that civilian volunteers with specialist skills would be given “police-style powers” to create a more “flexible workforce”.

Theresa May, the home secretary, said forces in England and Wales would be able to expand by recruiting members of the public who have strong accountancy or computer skills to help fight cyber crime.

James Brokenshire, the policing minister, revealed this week there would not be a limit on the contribution of unpaid volunteers.

When asked in the House of Commons whether their deployment would be limited in cases of child sexual exploitation, serious crime and counterterrorism, he said “we should not make assumptions” about where volunteers can contribute.

Mr Brokenshire said: “Our consultation on the reform of the roles and powers of civilians and volunteers demonstrated the demand from forces for flexibility in how they deploy volunteer staff.

“These reforms will place the individual decision-making as to which personnel perform which roles firmly in the hands of chief officers, who have the professional expertise and local knowledge to know which powers are needed in their area.”

Brokenshire said it was important not to restrict the operational powers of the police, “who retain the right to deploy staff as they see fit”.

Since 2010, around 12,000 frontline police officers have left the profession. There are currently at least 9,000 volunteers working with police forces.

Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said the move sounds like a "back-door means" of filling cuts and "could lead to policing on the cheap".

He told The Independent: "The Home Secretary needs to provide assurance that it won't lead to standards being compromised or corners cut.

"The concern is that these volunteers will not be checked or trained in the same way as those who volunteer as Special Constables.

"The police service is an essential public service and cannot be provided on a voluntary basis."

Proposals in the forthcoming policing and crime bill, which Labour is asking their MPs to block, would see volunteers the ability to hand out fixed-penalty notices, take witness statements, confiscate drugs, alcohol or tobacco, control traffic and detain a person for up to 30 minutes.

The latest government crime statistics, released this week, show the murder rate in England and Wales rose by 11 per cent to 573 homicides in 2015; knife crime increased by 9 per cent and sexual offences, including rape, increased by 29 per cent.