West Mercia and Mid Wales police bosses welcome George Osborne's funding pledge

Chancellor George Osborne made the announcement as part of the government's Comprehensive Spending Review.

Police funding from government will be protected in 'real terms', with an additional £900m for forces nationwide by 2020.

West Mercia's PCC Bill Longmore said: "I will have to wait until the precise details of the figures and finances are processed to make a full and proper assessment. On face value though, and taking politics out of the equation, this seems to be very good news for the people of West Mercia.

"I have said for some time now that there was very little fat left to trim within policing locally, and I am pleased that common sense has prevailed. The formula grant from government is our biggest source of income, and there's no doubt that further hefty cuts to it would have created a real and serious challenge for all police forces.

"This news means that we can sustain the good policing service the people of West Mercia currently get, and when all the finer details are ironed out, I hope it will provide a sense of comfort and security for many people – myself included. We will not be complacent though, and I would reassure everyone that we will continue working hard to achieve the best possible value for money.

"West Mercia is already in a comparatively strong position when it comes to things like efficiency, effectiveness and value for money. This announcement will hopefully help the force cement and build on that platform in the coming years.

"Importantly as well, I hope this news will give some comfort and reassurance to our local police officers and staff, as well as our community partners, who have endured an uncertain time. These people work so hard to make our communities happier, safer, healthier places every day, and hopefully this news will make their lives a little bit easier."

Christopher Salmon, Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner, also said he was pleased that Chancellor George Osborne had vowed to protect police from cuts.

He said he would now do all he can to keep Mid Wales as safe as possible.

"This is encouraging news for policing across England and Wales," he said. "I await news on plans for local budgets. Financial challenges remain but I'm determined to protect local policing. Over the past few years we've been able to increase the number of local officers while making significant savings.

"Officers are spending more time on the beat – crime and antisocial behaviour are down. I want to ensure we can continue that work to make Dyfed-Powys even safer. With the right decisions we can make a big difference to the safety of our homes.

"I will continue to prioritise local policing in Dyfed-Powys. We still need to spend taxpayers money wisely. We still need to make savings. We still need to invest in IT. We still need the police to be more flexible. The biggest threat to our safety is that we can't pay our bills for police and defence in future. Like other parts of government we have to do our bit to make sure we don't leave massive debts to our children."