The Home Office has today (Thursday 13 December) announced
the largest increase in police funding since 2010.
The provisional police funding settlement of up to £14
billion for 2019-20 is up to £970 million more than the
previous year. It will enable the police to meet financial
pressures and respond effectively to the changing and
increasingly complex crimes they face.
Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will receive:
-
£7.8 billion in general Government grants, which is
£161 million more than the previous year.
-
more money to spend locally. The council tax referendum
threshold will be £24 for a Band D property. If PCCs
ask households to contribute an extra £2 a month, this
would generate around £510 million in additional
funding.
The settlement demonstrates the Home Office’s commitment to
fighting serious and organised crime, including economic
crime and drug trafficking, with a £90 million investment
in national, regional and local capabilities.
Home Secretary said:
Since becoming Home Secretary I have been clear I would
prioritise police funding, and today I have delivered on
that promise.
This is a significant funding settlement that provides
the most substantial police funding increase since 2010,
with more money for local police forces, counter
terrorism and tackling serious and organised crime.
It will enable the police to recruit more officers and be
better placed to respond to the increasingly complex
crimes they face.
As announced by the Chancellor in the Budget, funding for
counter-terrorism policing will increase by £59 million in
2019/20 to £816 million, which is £160 million more than we
planned at the last Spending Review, maintaining the
commitment to provide the resources needed to keep the
public safe.
There is also £153 million specifically to help policing
meet increased pensions costs next year – estimated at
around £330 million.
Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, , said:
We recognise the police face significant financial
pressures in the coming year.
This settlement offers a substantial increase in funding
for the whole police system to ensure forces recruit,
meet local priorities and continue to improve efficiency
to free up resources for the front line.
Additionally, the settlement will again see £175 million
going into the Police Transformation Fund, which includes
investment for innovative new crime prevention techniques
and a new national welfare service for front line officers,
and £495 million for national police technology
capabilities.
The £161 million of general government grants for PCCs
includes an extra £14 million specifically for the
Metropolitan Police and City of London Police to reflect
unique pressures they face in the capital.
The police have been making good progress on key areas of
reform, but we are clear that extra funding alone is not
sufficient to meet the demands they face.
They must continue to identify opportunities to improve
efficiency and productivity and we are challenging every
police force to contribute to commercial savings, so that
more resources can be freed up for frontline crime
fighting.
This government will always back the police and the wider
criminal justice system. This support and investment will
be followed by a coherent long-term plan at the Spending
Review for how we will improve outcomes for the public and
make our communities safer.
