LABOUR has accused Thurrock Tories of endorsing police cuts in Essex.

Labour cllr Gerard Rice, the council’s representative on the Essex Police Authority, entered a motion calling for the council to urge the Government to call a halt to the police cuts in Essex.

Cllr Rice said residents are alarmed that 388 police posts, 500 civilian posts, and 100 police community support officer posts will go by 2014.

His motion said: “We urge David Cameron and Teresa May to reverse these cuts as they will have a detrimental effect on policing in Essex and this will lead to a rise in crime which no citizen of Thurrock wishes to see.”

Cllr Rice said the police cuts across the country will leave it vulnerable if a situation like the London riots emerges again.

He said: “If you go back to the London riots last year, we had 16,000 police officers on the streets of London to lock it down, by 2014 these same posts will disappear.

“We won’t have the ability by 2014 to police a major event.”

Tory spokesman James Halden said he was surprised at Cllr Rice’s motion, given that Labour had tried to end £228,000 worth of match-funding for PCSO’s in the borough in 2010.

His Tory colleague cllr Simon Wootton accused cllr Rice of using the motion to “spark alarm and political mischief” and urged him to recognise the good work the police are doing.

Labour cllr Lynn Worrall was disappointed the motion was not getting support from the opposition.

She said: “What’s become clear tonight is that Thurrock Tories welcome the police cuts.”

The motion was carried, but without Tory support.