IF POLICING doesn\u2019t get additional funding in next week\u2019s budget there could be \u2018dire consequences\u2019 for public safety and the service could become \u2018irrelevant\u2019, MPs have warned.<\/p>\n
The Home Affairs Select Committee has urged policing to be prioritised and said that neighbourhood policing is bearing the brunt of budget cuts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The damning Future of Policing report says forces are struggling to cope set against a drop in officer numbers and a rise in crime.<\/p>\n
The Committee also accused the Home Office of showing a lack of leadership.<\/p>\n
The report highlighted the role neighbourhood policing plays in counter terrorism after all but one force recorded a drop in neighbourhood officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is absolutely vital that this cornerstone of British policing is reaffirmed throughout the country, to ensure that trust and legitimacy is maintained,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is particularly important in communities in which distrust of the police \u2013 and in public authorities more widely \u2013 is rife, and in which those local links are all the more important.<\/p>\n
\u201cNevertheless, in all neighbourhoods, without local engagement, policing is at risk of becoming irrelevant to most people, particularly in the context of low rates of investigation for many crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Committee Chair and Labour MP Yvette Cooper said the service urgently needs a cash injection.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrime is up, charges and arrests are down, and the police service is struggling to respond effectively to emerging and growing challenges, such as online fraud and online child abuse,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolicing urgently needs more money. The Government must make sure policing is a priority in the budget and spending review, or public safety and communities will pay the price.\u201d<\/p>\n
PFEW vice-chairman and Welfare Lead Ch\u00e9 Donald said: \u201cThis report wastes no time in getting straight to the heart of the matter and blames Government for the perilous position that policing now finds itself in. It warns that the Home Office cannot continue to stand back while police forces struggle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Committee has recognised that not only will there be dire consequences for public safety and criminal justice without significant additional investment in the police service, but it has also recognised our position on the importance of officer welfare.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Demand, Capacity and Welfare Survey identified years ago that officers were cracking under the strain of working in an over-stretched service, with reduced resources and soaring levels of crime. And if the officers are not supported, the service itself will deteriorate and decline.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Home Office spokesman told\u202fThe Guardian: \u201cThe Home Secretary has already been clear that he will prioritise funding for the police.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Policing Minister has spoken to leaders in every force in England and Wales to better understand the demand and changing nature of crime faced by forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are now working closely with the police to gather the evidence to ensure they continue to receive the resources they need at the next spending review.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IF POLICING doesn\u2019t get additional funding in next week\u2019s budget there could be \u2018dire consequences\u2019 for public safety and the service could become \u2018irrelevant\u2019, MPs have warned. The Home Affairs\u2026 read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4818"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4818"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4820,"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4818\/revisions\/4820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essexfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}