Just one week after Met Police boss Sir Paul Stephenson voiced concerns about the rise of burglaries in the United Kingdom, Association of Chief Police Officers president Sir Hugh Orde stated that proposed police budget cuts and reforms may lead to a diminished capacity to enforce the law within the country.

Sir Hugh made the comments while speaking at the Association of Chief Police Officers annual conference. It is believed that the comments were made in response to the government's plan to cut the police budget by a huge £11 billion while also introducing a number of dramatic reforms.

According to Sir Hugh, these reforms would lead to the greatest shift in policing in a model that has existed for 180 years and has been revered throughout the world.

"Unless greater clarity emerges in the near future I fear we run the risk of compromising the safety of citizens and damaging a service which has been at the forefront of protecting the public for so many years", Sir Hugh said.

Besides the dramatic budget cuts, the most controversial proposals made by Home Secretary Theresa May include the introduction of a National Crime Agency as well as the introduction of elected commissioners who will set budgets and tell chief constables what crimes to target.