Full review of police funding is needed, says West crime czar

Public confidence in the police has been “severely dented” as forces struggle to deliver an effective service, a House of Commons committee has warned.

Charging suspects is taking longer, fewer arrests are being made and neighbourhood presences have been stripped back, MPs said.

Falls in funding and staffing levels have left constabularies under “increasing strain”, according to a report from the Public Accounts Committee.

Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee, said the situation could not be allowed to continue.

“Government must show leadership and get on with fixing the flaws at the heart of its approach to policing,” she said.

The committee said the Home Office should set out how it plans to improve the delivery of national projects, streamline processes and fully engage with forces.

Alison Hernandez, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, welcomed the call for a review of police funding but said recommendations for change did not go far enough.

In her evidence to the committee, she told MPs that a ‘topslicing’ system that sees millions of pounds transferred from the 43 forces in England and Wales for central initiatives needed to change.

That system takes an average of 11% off police budgets and represents an annual cost of about £23m for Devon and Cornwall Police.

“People in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly tell me that they are very concerned about the resources allocated to police in their community,” she said.

“My office and I are fighting for every penny so front-line policing in our community is resourced well and effective, so it is galling to see quite so much of our budget taken up to fund national initiatives.

“I am disappointed that the committee’s recommendation regarding top slicing is not stronger – I’d like to see a full review of this system – but I am pleased that the Government appears to be listening to the concerns of police and crime commissioners and the public at large regarding police funding in general.

“Policing minister Nick Hurd appears to be serious about better understanding police pressures and the national landscape.”

Ms Hernandez said she was also concerned about the effects of a pensions hole on front-line policing in the South West. A re-calculation of pension liability was likely to cost Devon and Cornwall Police an additional £4.3m in 2019-20 and £10.8m the following year.

In addition, a nationallyagreed police pay rise will cost between £6.5m next year and £7.7m the year after. “It’s vital that victims of crime are put front and centre of our police force and for that to happen we need fair funding for our community,” she said.