The Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester has accused Ministers of
paying lip service to public safety, as the Government has so far
failed to end the uncertainty about future police funding.
Speaking a week before the Home Secretary is expected to announce
the police grant for 2019/20 - the money police forces receive
from central government – Deputy Mayor Bev Hughes has urged
to make good on his promises to
support local policing by turning the tide on eight years of
savage cuts.
The Deputy Mayor’s calls were echoed by members of Greater
Manchester’s Police and Crime Panel, as they were told that
silence from Ministers on the state of future funding is fuelling
concerns that Greater Manchester will face further cuts to
policing.
“We cannot run a police service on empty promises,” says Deputy
Mayor Bev Hughes.
“As ministers continue to pay lip service to the importance of
local policing, police services are struggling to get on with the
job in hand – keeping the public safe.
“Greater Manchester Police is facing unprecedented demand as it
deals with the consequences of eight years of relentless cuts.
But the Government’s attitude when it comes to fair funding is,
quite frankly, shameful and disrespectful to our citizens, and to
the police officers and staff who go above and beyond to protect
our homes and streets.
“Add to that the budget black hole caused by the police pension
changes and we are at the end of the line now, with the public
really bearing the brunt as police struggle to respond to
incidents. I urge the Home Secretary to take this opportunity to
deliver on his promises and put his money where his mouth is.”
Cllr Tamoor Tariq, Chair of the Police and Crime Panel, said:
“Although the settlement is due next week, it’s still not too
late for the government to listen to our grave concerns and
provide the funding that policing and the public deserve to keep
Greater Manchester safe. This comes at a time when the demands on
police are greater than ever before. The thin blue line is
getting even thinner and Government need to take action
now.”
The report to the Panel also outlines how the funding raised
through this year’s council tax has been invested, including:
- Recruitment of 100 additional police officers (50 this year
and 50 next year) to bolster neighbourhood policing – the first
increase for eight years.
- Maintaining the number of PCSOs.
- Investment in the digital forensics unit to address the
backlog of mobile phone examinations so cases can be swiftly
progressed.
- Improvements to the 101 non-emergency number, including the
recruitment of 40 additional call handlers and the introduction
of Livechat to reduce demand.
“Asking local taxpayers to pay more towards policing was not an
easy decision, but one we were forced to make. However, the Mayor
and I promised to invest this money in neighbourhood policing and
improving the non-emergency number, and I’m pleased to say that
is what we’ve done,” adds the Deputy Mayor.
“Now we must wait for the Home Secretary’s announcement next week
and hope he delivers – the future of our police service depends
on it.”
Greater Manchester Police has faced cuts of £215m since 2010,
resulting in the loss of 2,000 police officers, a 25 per cent
reduction on 2010 levels, and 1,000 police staff.
Read the Police and Crime Panel report here.
