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Home Secretary Amber Rudd has demonstrated an outstanding lack of understanding of the basics of cause and effect, by insisting huge cuts in police numbers has no bearing on how much crime is being committed.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Rudd explained her belief that actions never have consequences and that effects rarely, if ever, have causes.
She wrote, “There will be critics who say that cutting police numbers by 20,000 effectively reduces the nation’s ability to both prevent crime, and investigate crimes when they occur. I would say that is utter nonsense.
“Criminals don’t care about being caught, or the risk of being caught, or taking steps to prevent being caught – they just want to do more crimes. That is my expert opinion as Home Secretary, and you should listen to it despite me spending the last couple of years telling you not to listen to experts.
“What criminals really fear is efficiency savings. If we can squeeze a little more effort out of our already overworked police, then that is what strikes fear into the hearts of true criminals.
“Just because senior police officials warned that cutting budgets by 18% in real terms since 2010 would significantly hamper their ability to protect the public, doesn’t mean their current inability to protect the public is down to us making precisely those cuts.
“Look, let me make this more simple for you – if you are a criminal, what do you fear more – two well-paid policemen, or one policeman who is exhausted because we’re aking him to do more for the same money?
“See? I rest my case.”
