Just 153 new officers a travesty, says MP
AN angry Rosie Cooper has hit out at ‘unfair’ allocation of police officers as it was revealed Lancashire will be given just 153 new officers under a headline Government scheme.
West Lancashire’s MP branded the allocation a travesty after the stretched police force was told it will be allowed less than half of the 340 officers it requested for the first year and only around 20% of the numbers lost during cuts since 2010.
She said: “This decision is a travesty. Here was an opportunity for the government and specifically the Home Office to right a previous wrong and they have failed to do so.
“I welcome the additional officers Lancashire Police will receive and the pay rise for the hard-working, dedicated and brave officers serving today. Although the Government is failing to provide any additional monies to police forces to fund the pay rise.”
Despite losing 750 officers in the past nine years, the force was has been allocated just 2.55% of the initial tranche of 6,000 officers from the Home Office as part of the Government’s wider promise of 20,000 officers over the next three years.
In comparison, Surrey Police has had a reduction of just eight police officers since 2010 and will get an increase of 250 officers under the new funding allocation.
Similar complaints have been made in neighbouring Merseyside, where the force will be allowed 200 officers from the initial recruitment.
The dramatic increase in police office was announced after Boris Johnson’s appointment as Prime Minister, but critics have pointed out that it will only restore numbers to the same level as before major cuts were made across recent years.
When the announcement was first made, Ms Cooper wrote to Priti Patel ahead of the National Policing Board meeting, calling for a fair funding allocation for Lancashire Police to return the lost officer posts.
Responding to the allocation, she said: “Lancashire police officers, the people and communities of West Lancashire deserve more support from this government than they are getting when it comes to public safety and tackling crime.
The Labour MP added: “There is no doubt the loss of officers has impacted on policing across Lancashire forcing officers into tough choices on what activities they do police and prioritising their responses.
“To see areas, such as Surrey, that have never suffered a noticeable loss of officer numbers to then get an even greater increase is deeply unfair and unjust, whilst Lancashire remains far short of the officer numbers it desperately needs.
“I have once again written to the Home Secretary to explain how utterly unacceptable this announcement is and I will continue to call for fair funding for our police force.”