Essex Police is facing the devastating prospect of having to lose its community support officers, and some police staff as a direct result of poor funding from the Labour Government.
I met the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, last week to discuss the funding proposals from the Home Office for our local policing teams. Although the Government promised police a much deserved 4.75% pay increase last July, the funding to provide this increase has not fully materialised, leaving Essex Police with a £12.5million shortfall.
Roger and the Essex Chief Constable, BJ Harrington, have met with the Home Secretary, the Minister for Police and Home Office officials to question the funding, which is disproportionately low for a county the size and with the population density of Essex, but to no avail. The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s office received a verbal confirmation last week there will be no change at all in the funding offer, and no flexibility in the police uplift programme
In addition, it seems the Government is telling the Chief Constable he must increase the number of neighbourhood policing officers, without fully funding this – which, worryingly, is direct Government interference in the policing priorities for Essex and will draw away resources from other areas like fighting drug and knife crime.
The last Conservative Government prioritised police recruitment and funding, bringing police numbers to an all time high in Essex. Now we face a reduction in policing capacity including all the excellent Police Community Support Officers who have offered so much reassurance to local people calling for more police on the beat.
This funding cut by the Labour Government will mean there are fewer officers on patrol in Essex, and the loss of experienced PCSOs who know their community across the county. It is a great disappointment and I will be raising in in the House of Commons, together with other Opposition colleagues whose local police forces are facing the same cuts.
You can read the full statement from the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst, Here; https://www.essex.pfcc.police.uk/news/pfcc-and-essex-police-forced-to-reduce-staff-numbers-cut-all-pcsos-and-request-the-maximum-precept-increase-following-inadequate-government-funding-settlement
