Police Forces have long been top heavy with staff warming chairs at desks while the remaining few get left to rush around the streets like blue ass flies. Even at that, though, the main reason for the lack of Police on the streets is, and has been for many years, the welter of reports and paperwork imposed upon them by successive governments.
Thus, the proposed cuts will not only affect Police numbers on the streets, because you can bet your bottom dollar that the paperwork won't also be cut. So, there will be an inevitable knock on effect whereby case files etc will be piled up sky high awaiting completion, as a result of which numerous court cases will be delayed and the whole criminal justice system will all but grind to a halt.
Politicians, i.e. the government etc, have the powers to alleviate the situation, but won't. So nothing will improve, just the opposite in fact, and we the great British public will put up with it, as we always do?