‘It’s about time police stopped moaning and got on with the job...’
TOP COUNCILLOR SAYS GMP CAN ‘DO MORE TO HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEMS’
THE police should ‘stop moaning’ about cuts and ‘live within their means’ a councillor – and former GMP worker – has said.
Salford politician Robin Garrido, who worked for the force as a civilian for eight years, said officers need to start ‘organising themselves more efficiently.’
The senior councillor, who ran for the Conservatives in the city’s mayoral race in 2016, also said GMP needs to make better use of technological advances to save time.
Coun Garrido left the force a decade ago. He was administrator for a GMP trust, raising money for crime prevention schemes. He was also in charge of finding sponsors.
His comments came after the M.E.N. revealed that almost half the crimes reported to GMP are not being investigated – including most theft, shoplifting, burglary, criminal damage, arson and public order offences.
A staggering 17,000 violent crimes were not followed up by officers last year, with police chiefs blaming stark budget cuts for the pattern.
But Coun Garrido, speaking at Salford town hall’s latest full meeting, said: “There’s a lot more that can be done by the police to help solve the problems.
“I think it’s about time they stopped moaning about resources and got on with the job and started organising themselves more efficiently.”
Earlier, Salford mayor Paul Dennett said: “Our police forces have been stripped to the bone.
“Crime is on the increase – up 31 percent in Greater Manchester last year.”
Mr Dennett said the number of officers in the region has been cut from 8,000 in 2008 to 6,000 today – and that police chiefs say around 10,000 are needed ‘keep this city region safe.’ Coun Garrido, who represents the Boothstown and Ellenbrook, said he was concerned about an increase in thefts in his ward, but said the force as not done enough to make the best of technological advances.
“Lots of things have been introduced to make the police more efficient, yet all we get from the police all the time is ‘less resources, less officers’ and so on,” he said. “It seems to me that they need to start learning to live within their means. They have to start learning to use their resources in the best possible way.”
Earlier this week, GMP’s assistant chief constable Rob Potts said: “We prioritise our workload to focus on the most serious crime which represents the greatest threat, harm and risk to the public.”