West Midlands Police Chief Inspector Matt Markham responded to Birmingham MP Jack Dromey's prediction that more than one thousand officers would be lost. Mr Markham would not confirm jobs were at risk and said the force could not comment on speculation. "We understand there will be challenges ahead but we are confident we will deal with them while continuing to protect the public and maintaining the high quality of service in the communities we serve," he said. The force's budget has been cut by £6.9m this year as part of Whitehall steps to reduce the UK's debt.