POLICE forces are calling for the reversal of government cuts to allow “more boots on the ground” after the latest figures revealed today that reports of violent crime rose by 19 per cent in one year.

Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) chair John Apter said forces are “swimming against the tide and it is the public who are being let down.”

He added that the government’s Violent Crime Strategy had omitted to mention that there are 22,000 fewer police officers since 2010 — with 80 per cent lost from the front line.