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Police forces will face their most strained financial year just as powers are handed to elected commissioners, a Commons committee has been told.
Chris Sims, chief constable of West Midlands police, told the home affairs committee during an evidence session on police finances that 2012/13 will be "the most difficult year".
"Difficult budget decisions" will have to be taken, leaving the new police and crime commissioners first elected in May 2012 to work for the first 11 months with a budget set by the outgoing police authority.
That process will require "maturity" from all parties, Sims said.
Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester police, said the home office projected figures are based on an increase in the precept.
He said that would mean candidates standing on the platform of an increase in council tax.
Asked if he would consider standing, Fahy explained that he is not allowed, as there is a time-limit preventing officers who have just left the police running for commissioner.
Shadow home secretary Ed Balls also gave evidence to the committee.
David Winnick (Lab, Walsall North) asked if chief constables can properly prepare for the scale of the planned cuts.
Balls said every force finds itself in a "very difficult situation", and senior officers are taken aback at the scale of the cuts in the policing budget.
He said he broadly agreed with estimates from KPMG and the Police Federation that between 18,000 and 20,000 officers will lose their jobs.
James Clappison (Con, Hertsmere) asked for a "global sense" of what Balls would have done differently.
Balls said Labour set out its plans in an white paper set out £1.3bn of savings, in line with an HMIC report that there could be cuts of 11 per cent over four years without reducing the quality of policing.
The coalition plans for 20 per cent cuts and the early impact of "frontloading" them will mean a reduction in service, he argued.
He also complained that big cities face a double hit as their police forces are more reliant on the police grant rather than council tax revenues.
Balls also said it would be "worrying" if elected commissioners were given additional powers to sack police officers.
Mark Reckless (Con, Rochester and Strood) asked if Balls was resiling from the Left's tradition view that the police should be under direct democratic control.
The shadow home secretary said Labour continues to support the principle of elected politicians having oversight of police, and police authorities fulfil that function.
Balls expressed scepticism that one individual having power over such a wide area threatens the indepdence of operational policing and will in fact be less accountable.
He added that elected commissioners will lead to less collaboration between forces and the coalition's approach is "very flawed".
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