PCC says Spending Review is ‘a kick in the teeth for policing’

“As Hampshire and Isle of Wight’s Police and Crime Commissioner, I have long been calling for more funding for policing and I’m pleased to see the government has listened.

“But in real terms this will actually impact a number of forces across the country who will see this as some form of cut.

“A lot of services we’re purchasing, for example IT, costs over a £1bn a year for police forces across the UK and some of the license contracts are facing over inflation increases.

“I think the Home Secretary’s promise to fund 13,000 police and community support officers is simply a pipe dream now. What we have seen today is not a 2.3% increase in police funding for the next three years – it is, in fact, 1.7%. This in real terms is a cut and the only way forces will be able to pay for it is a hike in council tax. It’s a disgrace.

“We’re still reeling from the impact of the increase to National Insurance contributions for employers. While police officers salaries were covered from the Treasury, it didn’t cover overtime and no police force in the country is able to cope without asking officers to work overtime.

“We have already had to subsume over a million pounds a year of budget pressures because of those NI increases last year and now, I really feel the Chancellor’s announcement is another kick in the teeth for policing.

“I’m seriously concerned it’ll lead to a reduction in officers on our streets over the next three years.

“But I’m working hard and am adamant we won’t be cutting officer numbers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“Of course, an increase in spending is vital and, while an extra £700m for the probation service is welcome, we need more as the system is clearly buckling.

“Officers are working tirelessly to arrest dangerous individuals. They are tackling violent crime, child abuse, domestic violence and organised crime, but too many of these cases are falling apart because courts are clogged, evidence is lost, or legal processes fail due to under-resourcing. Victims are left in limbo, and in some cases, they’re denied justice altogether.

“Policing is just one agency. We cannot continue to starve the criminal justice system of resources and expect the public to have confidence in it. Justice doesn’t end when an offender is arrested. It ends when a victim sees a resolution, and when rehabilitation or punishment has been delivered properly. Right now, that cycle is broken.

“Releasing thousands of prisoners early and proposing lighter sentences in the community may relieve pressure, but only if community supervision, rehabilitation services and offender management teams are properly funded. If not, we are simply pushing risk into the public domain and onto overstretched police, probation and support services.

“We cannot continue to treat justice as a patchwork of agencies. It’s a single, interdependent system. When one part breaks down, it affects every other part – and most importantly, it fails the public we all serve.”