The Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester says it is “unacceptable”
that local communities are bearing the brunt of the Government’s
failure to fund policing fairly and properly.
Beverley Hughes, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal
Justice and Fire, was reacting to Home Office statistics,
revealed today (Thursday July 19), which show a continued rise in
recorded crime across the city-region.
It follows eight years of real-term cuts imposed on Greater
Manchester Police (GMP).
The statistics show a 27 per cent increase in total recorded
crime in Greater Manchester, with a rise across the majority of
crime types, including sexual offences and robbery.
The Deputy Mayor said: “Official statistics once again show a
substantial increase in recorded crime. While some of this is
down to improvements in how the police record crime, these
figures highlight the increasing demand on policing, and the
impact on communities.
“But while our police officers and staff remain committed to
protecting our homes and streets, over-stretched resources and
the changing nature of crime means our communities are bearing
the brunt of the Government’s failure to fund the police fairly –
and that is simply unacceptable.”
The figures for Greater Manchester include the following:
-
Total recorded crime – 340,005 – 27% increase
-
Violence against a person - 94,211 – 41%
increase
-
Sexual offences - 9,550 – 39% increase
-
Burglary - 31,970 – 4% increase
-
Robbery - 6,939 – 48% increase
-
Theft offences - 122,948 – 6% increase
-
Vehicle crime - 30,863 – 19% increase
However, some minor crime offences have seen a small decrease,
such as:
-
Shoplifting - 17,400 – 3% decrease
-
Bicycle theft - 4,343 – 9% decrease
-
Theft from person - 6,648 – 1% decrease
The Deputy Mayor added: “Just last week, 250 GMP officers were
pulled out of Greater Manchester to police a national operation
for President Trump’s visit to the UK, taking away vital
resources from local people here at a time when our emergency
services are faced with unprecedented demand.
“The Government has to stop taking our police service for granted
and realise the impact that years of cuts and tumbling officer
numbers is having on our communities.”
