Davey: Government must fund police pay rise

“Police budgets are already massively overly-stretched, and if police chiefs have to find money for pay rises they will be forced to make cuts elsewhere. That would make our communities less safe.

“If there is no new government money to accompany this announcement, Tory Ministers will once again be failing in their duty and passing the buck to local police chiefs.

“That is unacceptable, and the Liberal Democrats demand better. The Government must urgently give police forces the funding they need – not only to give police officers a pay rise, but also to recruit more officers and restore community policing.”