CHANCELLOR George Osborne has announced there will be no cuts to Lancashire Police.

Police chiefs had feared that the budget could have slashed by £62.5million in the Government’s comprehensive spending review.

But Mr Osborne said it was vital to protect police budgets in view of the recent Paris terrorism attacks.

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Mr Osborne told the House of Commons this afternoon: “I have had representations from the Shadow Home Secretary that the police budget should be ten per cent. But now os not the time for police cuts. Now is the time to back our police and give them the tools to do their job.

“I’m today announcing there will be no cuts in the police budget at all and there will be real term protection for police funding.

“The police protect us and now we are going to protect the police.”

Lancashire Telegraph: Chancellor George Osborne

Last month Lancashire police and crime commissioner Clive Grunshaw and Chief Constable Steve Finnigan said they feared that the budget would e cut by up to 40 pr cent.

They said if that had been the case then neighbourhood policing teams would have to be scrapped saving £34 million, all public enquiry desks would be closed, dedicated road policing teams would be disbanded, support units - which deal with violent offenders and carry out drug raids - would go, along with the mounted and dog units.

They also said the force’s Major Investigation Unit would have to be reduced, meaning some rape and murder cases would have to be investigated by the region’s specialist crime unit Titan. The serious organised crime unit would also have been cut, meaning fewer resources for the units which deal with sexual offenders.

However Mr Grunshaw, who launched a campaign challenging the proposed cuts, described Mr Osborne’s announcement as a great victory.

Earlier this month the Government postponed a police grant funding formula review because the figures, which could have seen Lancashire lose £24.5 million, were based on old data