Urgent action demanded on police ‘crisis’

A Plymouth city councillor is calling for an emergency recall of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel after Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer announced that “the thin blue line is broken” across the two counties.

Cllr Gareth Derrick, who represents Labour for the Ham ward on the city council, said: “Last week’s Budget gave nothing at all to our police, after years of cuts that have hit neighbourhood policing. Amidst a public backlash about rapidly rising crime and poor police performance, our chief constable Shaun Sawyer declared last week on BBC Radio Devon that the ‘the thin blue line is broken’ across Devon and Cornwall.

“The chief constable’s comments expose what is undoubtedly a serious crisis in policing in our region.

“Announcing that the problems can only be solved by more funding or a ‘reset of expectations’, he was clear that lives are being lost as a direct result of police cutbacks. We cannot just sit back and watch this happen. The safety of Plymouth residents and people all over Devon and Cornwall is increasingly being put at risk by a critically over-stretched police force and a police commissioner that sits on the sideline.”