David Cameron accused of misleading Parliament over as 1,500 MoD police posts face the axe

THE Ministry of Defence police force will lose up to 1,500 of its 3,500 officers with an announcement expected soon that its budget will be cut in half, The Scotsman has learned.

A large proportion of the jobs will be lost in Scotland, sources said, where more than 1,000 of the officers are based, guarding nine sites including the Faslane Trident submarine base – raising fears over security at Britain’s military nuclear weapons facilities. The MoD faced claims last night that a decision two months ago to downgrade the security risk of Faslane and neighbouring Coulport was linked to the MoD police cuts.

However, sources in Whitehall said there were no plans to reduce the number of officers at the base.

SNP Westminster leader and defence spokesman Angus Robertson said: “It would be unacceptably cavalier for the MoD to reduce their risk assessment purely to justify cuts in police numbers.

“Even though the majority of people in Scotland, like me, oppose nuclear weapons being stored here, they must be properly secured.

“Whether at Faslane, Coulport or other sensitive conventional and civil facilities, it is critical that the appropriate MoD police numbers remain.”

He added: “The MoD police play a vital role and are an extremely professional force. The UK government’s planned manpower cuts to this service are deeply concerning.”

The MoD police force, which differs from the Military Police in that it is responsible for guarding installations and investigating fraud rather than policing military personnel, appears to have been a victim of the fact its budget is part of the department’s core budget.

MoD officers are armed and free up military personnel from guard duty for important sites such as the nuclear bases and arms dumps.

With the MoD needing to find £38 billion of savings, it has had to reduce its core budget by around 50 per cent.

The union which represents the officers said the cuts would heighten the security risk.

Eamon Keating, national chairman of the Defence Police Federation, pointed out that last month Prime Minister David Cameron denied the cuts would happen.

In response to a question from Argyll and Bute Lib Dem MP Alan Reid, Mr Cameron said: “I can assure my honourable friend there are no current plans to reduce the number of MoD police officers at either Faslane or Coulport naval bases. These are absolutely vital sites as he rightly knows, but obviously we need to look at all the costs in the MoD and make sure that what we’re getting are the outcomes in terms of the safety that we need.”

Mr Keating said the Prime Minister had not told MPs the true situation.

He said: “It is a fact that plans for cuts at these sites do exist, and the bottom line is that the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Defence have and are continuing to mislead Parliament on what is an issue of national security.

“The MoD’s decision to cut the MoD police’s budget is shocking and completely irresponsible, and is based on a consultation that has been flawed from the very start.

“We all know that savings have to be made, but in making this decision, ministers have said very clearly that this government cares more about the bottom line than the safety and security of our armed forces and the general public.”

Concerns were also raised by the Labour Party, with shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy warning that cuts to the MoD police would inevitably put pressure on local forces to fill the gap.

Mr Murphy said: “It is hard to see how a cut of this scale will not have an impact on security. Munitions stores, barracks and our military capabilities must all be properly protected. If the threat level has been reduced then cuts can be made but this seems more about deficit reduction than protecting defence sites.

“This is particularly important in Scotland with the strategically crucial sites of Faslane and Coulport. David Cameron made a promise and people will be astonished if he does not stick to it.”

Mr Murphy added: “Additional burden could now fall on civilian forces who, after a cut of 16,000, are already stretched.

“Savings must be made but we need clarity on the full impact of this announcement.”

Although there was no formal ministerial announcement, the MoD confirmed that cuts are to be made.

An MoD spokeswoman insisted cuts would not undermine security at Faslane and Coulport.

She said: “Having carried out a thorough examination of our future requirement for the policing services, we have concluded there is scope for some changes that will focus MoD police resources where they can best mitigate the crime and security risks faced by the MoD.

“Local consultation will be undertaken before any changes are implemented. We will continue to safeguard defence sites, people, assets and information and would never contemplate changes that would place these in jeopardy.”

“Security at defence nuclear sites is absolutely paramount and changes to the MoD police that have been agreed will not undermine the security in place at Faslane and Coulport.”

It is understood that a formal announcement is expected to be made to parliament before the Christmas recess on Monday.

The cuts to the MoD police are the latest example of savings forced on the department as part of Chancellor George Osborne’s austerity measures.

Already the replacement Nimrod aircraft have been cancelled, leading to the end of Kinloss in Moray as an RAF base, and the regular army is to lose 18,000 soldiers. Other savings have been found by scrapping Harrier jets and selling the planes to the Americans, while the UK will be without an aircraft carrier with fast jet capability for a decade.

It is not clear whether both the new carriers currently being built will see active service. One could be mothballed or sold off to a foreign navy.