Police officer numbers ‘moving in the right direction’

ESSEX Police Federation Chairman Steve Taylor says things are moving in the right direction regarding the number of officers policing the county.

He hopes the recent precept increase, which will add 150 extra PCs to the frontline, will provide some respite to existing hard-working officers who have had to cope with a cut of nearly 650 officers in Essex since 2010.

“Of course, its’ been very difficult having to do more with less and we’ve had to make do for far too long,” he said.

“But the recent precept increase and the additional officers is extremely welcome. The force has said that the new officers, barring one detective role, will be going on the frontline, so whilst it’s baby steps and we need more I think things are looking more positive.”

There are now just under 3,000 officers to police the entire county and Steve is hopeful that their welfare will be improved with additional police numbers.

“The difference that one extra officer can make on teams is something that can’t be underestimated,” he said.

“Anything that we can do to improve the lot of those officers, particularly on the frontline, we should welcome.

“And whilst we don’t want to appear greedy or ungrateful, there is, of course more to be done.

“But equally it’s fair to reflect that we’re moving in the right direction at least, and we’re taking  steps towards things getting better,” he added.