Labour promises to cut crime with 10,000 police officers
JEREMY CORBYN will promise 10,000 extra police officers would be put on the beat if Labour wins the General Election.
Labour will pledge an extra community officer in every ward in England and Wales, equivalent to more than 400 extra officers in Yorkshire.
Official statistics show the number of police officers in Yorkshire has fallen by more than 2,000 since 2010.
Mr Corbyn will claim Labour’s plan to reverse reductions in capital gains tax will pay for the promise but the Conservatives insisted his sums do not add up.
The Labour leader will say: “Cutting police numbers, especially when there is more crime to deal with, is unacceptable.
“That’s why Labour will put 10,000 new police officers on our streets. The safety of our communities is vital to us all.
“Community policing means uniformed officers being visible, local and accessible. They engage with the public, have a detailed local knowledge and build a network of relationships.
“That’s why Labour will reduce crime by putting more police in the community to make sure policing works for the many not the few.”
Policing is a sensitive issue for the Prime Minister because it focuses attention on her track record in six years as Home Secretary.
Mrs May has defended cuts to police budgets, arguing that crime has fallen at the same time.
Labour will point to the latest crime figures from the Office of National Statistics suggesting almost every force in the country saw a rise in the last year.
Policing Minister Brandon Lewis said: “This is just another nonsensical Jeremy Corbyn idea which he can’t pay for because his sums don’t add up and he’s already spent the money for it three other ways.
“Jeremy Corbyn promises all sorts of things, but we all know he can’t deliver.
“He and his supporters want to take away the powers the police need to keep us safe, and his coalition of chaos would undermine the Brexit negotiations. That would put the growing economy that funds the police at grave risk.
“Under Theresa May, the police have cut traditionally-measured crime by a third, and with her strong and stable leadership we will be able to make communities even safer.”
Mr Corbyn will make his policing pledge on a campaigning trip to Southampton today.
The safety of our communities is vital to us all. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party.