Government must prioritise policing, says Fed chair
25 July 2019
New figures showing a further rise in recorded crime should serve as a wake-up call to the Government, says Derbyshire Police Federation chair Tony Wetton.
The figures, revealed in the latest bulletin from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show firearms offences increased by three per cent, robberies by 11 per cent and violence against the person by 20 per cent.
Stalking and harassment figures went up by 50 per cent, rape offences by nine per cent and drug offences by 11 per cent.
“These figures should make the Government finally sit up and listen. It must now act to make tackling crime and policing a priority. The first duty of any Government is the safety and security of the public and it is high time we saw a proper investment in the police service so that we can properly look after our communities,” says Tony Wetton, chair of Derbyshire Police Federation.
“We have seen our numbers slashed and there are now 22,000 fewer police officers on the streets of England and Wales. While we have seen a slight increase in officer numbers in the last year, it was nowhere near enough if we are to truly make a difference in terms of fighting and preventing crime.
“With Boris Johnson now appointed as Prime Minister, we need to see him act on his campaigning promises of 20,000 more officers and £1.1 billion in extra funding for the police. We will be watching with interest and hope that he is true to his word for the sake of the police service, police officers, our communities and the country as a whole.”
The ONS figures were released along with statistics on crime outcomes, workforce strength and assaults on police officers which have increased from 26,000 to 30,000 in the last year.
John Apter, chair of the Police Federation, has also called on the Government to act.
He said: “We need more police officers and although there has been an increase of just 766 police officers in the past year, this number pales into insignificance when compared to the loss of more than 22,000 officers due to cuts in our funding.
“Hundreds of officers will have little or no impact on our ability to protect the public. To make a real impact on our operational performance, we need thousands not hundreds of new officers. This should be the priority of the new Government which should be determined to protect the safety and security of everyone in the country.”
Find out more in the full statistical bulletins:
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