Police chief in dark over new officers despite PM’s pledge

THE chief constable of West Midlands Police still does not know how many new officers he can recruit under Boris Johnson’s plan to boost numbers – or where they money will come from.

Mr Johnson has promised to recruit an extra 20,000 police nationwide, replacing those lost as a result of cuts in police funding since 2010.

The Prime Minister publicised the announcement with a visit to the West Midlands Police training headquarters in Birmingham on July 26.

But the force is waiting to learn what the announcement means in practice.

Dave Thompson, the West Midlands Police Chief Constable, wrote on his blog: “I do not yet know how many officers West Midlands Police will receive.”

Around 20,000 police officer posts nationwide have been lost since 2010, and Mr Johnson’s pledge would bring the number of police nationally back up to that level.

However, Mr Thompson warned there was no guarantee West Midlands Police would be able to replace the 2,100 police officer roles it has axed.

Mr Thompson, who is also head of finance for the National Police Chief ’s Council, said: “West Midlands Police accounts for six per cent of the grant government allocated to policing.

“If that was the means to allocate the officers it would be a lift of 1,200 officers over three years.”

Despite this, he welcomed Mr Johnson’s announcement. He said: “Having seen policing budgets decline for nine years this is welcome.

“The detail is not clear but the prospect of an improved position is to be welcomed.”