Government funding for Dyfed-Powys Police has dropped in recent years, as a major report casts doubt on the state of the country’s policing.

The National Audit Office report says that the Home Office is unsure whether the police system in England and Wales is “financially sustainable”, while officer numbers and arrest rates have fallen.

Home Office figures show that government funding for Dyfed-Powys Police was cut by two per cent between their 2015-16 and 2018-19 budgets – but in real terms, when inflation is taken into account, the fall is greater.

Across England and Wales, overall funding to forces, made up of central government grants and council tax, has fallen by 19 per cent in real terms since 2010-11, according to the NAO.

Sir Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “There are signs that forces are already experiencing financial strain and struggling to deliver effective services to the public.

“If the Home Office does not understand what is going on it will not be able to direct resources to where they are needed, with the risk that the situation could get worse.”

In Dyfed and Powys, local council tax payers have picked up the bill for policing, with the contribution from council tax increasing by 16 per cent to £50 million between 2015-16 and 2018-19.

Dyfed-Powys Police employed 1,186 officers in March this year, 10 more than the three years previously.

But longer term, across England and Wales, forces have managed financial pressure by reducing the size of their workforces, the report said.

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