Police scrapped millions of dollars from crime prevention to meet the Government's savings expectations ahead of this years' budget. 

The cuts were found in funding to burglary prevention programmes. 

Documents show Treasury had warned funding cuts could lead to higher cost and more crime in the longer term. 

But Police chief operating officer Andrea Conlan says difficult decisions had to be made in order to be fiscally responsible. 

She told Mike Hosking prevention is a key focus across the organisation, so it’s not about reducing their effort or focus on prevention. 

Conlan says the specific initiatives were identified as areas in which the money could be moved and reinvested.  

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