Rising crime and falling budgets is ‘perfect storm’

RISING crime and falling police budgets have been described as a ‘perfect storm waiting to happen’ by Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

After a Halloween which saw the force inundated with 999 calls, Lord Bach said the growing complexity of crime and falling officer numbers would leave the public at risk.

His comments came as evidence gathered by PCCs around the country showed £440m extra would be required in 2018/19 and £845m in 2019/20 to keep up with demand on forces.

He said: “The demands on the police are constantly increasing.

“Leicestershire Police received a record number of 999 calls on due to Halloween and a series of serious and resource- intensive incidents.

“During one four-hour period, the force received an average of one 999 call every minute.

“If it was just one night, that would be one thing, but it’s not.

“Crime is going up, nationally and locally. Crime is more complex, diverse and time-intensive than at any time in our recent history.

“We have fewer officers and we are asking more of them.

“We need officers to tackle issues such as cyber-crime and terrorism. The public rightly expect to see officers on the street.

“We need officers to investigate crimes and bring those responsible to justice.

“The population is rising. It is a perfect storm waiting to happen.”

Lord Bach went on to say funding in anti-terrorism, child sexual exploitation and on-line criminality could not be compromised by cuts.

He said: “The tragic events this year have seen a massive level of support come from forces including here in Leicestershire.

“We want to be able to continue to offer this support and any reduction in funding might make this difficult.

“I believe that nationally we need to invest in counter-terrorism activity.

“And that’s not just specialist officers, but the whole policing family who play such a huge role in intelligence gathering and response to the horrific attacks we have witnessed this year.

“Further budget cuts – otherwise known as the flat cash ‘protected’ settlement – are simply doing those who seek to protect us a disservice.”