Chair Steve James reacts to Labour forming new Government

5 July 2024

The previous Government “failed to deliver” on policing for 14 years, the Chair of Gloucestershire Police Federation has said, but he added that the new Government has a huge challenge on its hands.

Federation Chair Stephen James said: “Police officers around the country should be breathing a sigh of relief at today’s election results. For 14 years we have endured a Government that has consistently failed to deliver on policing, and for police officers.

“Since the 2010 appointment of Theresa May as Home Secretary, police officers have seen their working conditions attacked, their pensions slashed and their pay diminished. That Government cut over 22,000 police officers and only belatedly sought to replace them.

“Officers are beset by more bureaucracy than ever, the criminal justice system is plagued with backlogs and failing to deliver justice for victims, and the prisons are so full that many prisoners are released before they serve their full sentence. It is clearly time for a change.”

The new Government needed to set in motion plans to recruit more officers, Stephen said: “This new Labour Government has a huge challenge on its hands. To restore trust with police officers, to deliver proper, sustainable funding to policing, and to rebuild a criminal justice that delivers for victims.

“Labour has promised it will recruit thousands of dedicated neighbourhood officers, and that recruitment needs to start today. Across the country we have fewer officers than we had almost 15 years ago, and yet are constantly asked to deliver more. We have had 15 years of being asked to do more with less. It doesn’t work.”

He added: “In Gloucestershire, which until today was a wholly Conservative county, we have seen the election of new MPs from both the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties and one remaining Tory Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.

“We look forward to meeting those MPs and to ask them to support the fantastic policing in this county and, of course, its magnificent police officers and staff.”