(Tiverton and Honiton) (LD):
The announcement rings hollow for our constituents and serving
police officers alike. I recently met with police officers at
Honiton police station and it was plain that they receive way
more priority calls than they have officers to deal with them.
Earlier this month, we discovered that over 45,000 burglaries
reported last year went unattended in England and Wales. Will the
Minister get behind a Liberal Democrat Bill to create a statutory
duty on police officers and police forces to attend and properly
investigate every domestic burglary?
The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire (): I congratulate the excellent
police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, , for delivering record
officer numbers. There are 3,716 police officers in Devon and
Cornwall, which is nearly 100 more than there were in March
2010.
In relation to domestic burglaries, I am afraid the Liberal
Democrat party is a little behind the curve, because last autumn
the Home Secretary launched an initiative to ensure every
residential burglary got a police visit, which is something I am
sure everyone in the House would support.
(Truro and Falmouth)
(Con): I and my constituents also welcome the uplift to over
3,500 officers in the Devon and Cornwall
Police area that the Minister just mentioned. I also welcome
what the Minister said about investing in police forces. I draw
the House’s attention to the fact that in the south-west we have
five hard-working Conservative PCCs, who already have a voluntary
vetting service between their five forces, so that is starting to
work. Will the Minister meet with me and our excellent police and
crime commissioner, , to talk about the summer
funding that Cornwall and Devon so desperately need? We welcome
more visitors to our area than any other part of the country,
except London, and we need extra funding to help deal with the
additional antisocial behaviour we see every year.
: I am aware of the financial
and policing pressures that summer tourism creates in places such
as Devon and Cornwall, the Lake district, Dorset and many other
parts of the country. We plan to address that in the new police
funding formula, which we intend to consult on. In the meantime,
I would be delighted to meet with my hon. Friend and the
fantastic police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall,
.