City's budget for community policing is cut

COUNCIL chiefs have slashed £147,000 worth of funding for community policing in Edinburgh as part of their cost-cutting drive.

The cash had been set to fund administration work for the force's Neighbourhood Partnership areas, such as analysing local crime trends.

But police chiefs are set to restructure the back-room work to ensure services are not lost as a result of the cutbacks.

The council has also moved to cut 125,000 in funding which had previously been offered to support youth diversion projects aimed at keeping young people off the street.

Councillor Ian Murray, the Labour group's finance spokesman, attacked the Liberal Democrat/SNP administration over the moves. He said: "It is quite obvious that crime, education and our communities are not amongst their priorities."

Councillor Paul Edie, the city's community safety leader, said: "There are no groups which are dependent on this funding. We have a very strong record on law and order. No frontline staff will be lost as a result."