More bobbies on the beat thanks to new funding

The government has announced the ‘biggest increase’ in funding for the police system in a decade, with funding for the policing system for 2020 to 2021 increasing by more than £1.1 billion.

If Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) take full advantage of flexibility to set the police precept, this could total £15.2 billion, representing an almost 10 per cent on the core (resource) grant provided to forces last year, enabling the police to cut crime and deliver on the people’s priorities.

PCCs will have access to: £8,702 million in government grants, which is £667 million more than the previous year; flexibility to increase local funding in England by setting the council tax referendum limit to £10 for a typical (Band D) property; and, if all PCCs in England maximise this flexibility and ask average households to contribute less than 20 pence per week, this would generate around £248 million in additional funding for forces in England next year.

The government hopes that the funding will enable forces to recruit 6,000 of the 20,000 additional police officers by the end of March 2021, also providing £150 million in funding to fight organised crime and continue to crack down on online child abuse. Tackling serious violence will be also backed with £39 million, which includes £20 million for county lines drug dealing, which is seeing abhorrent gangs terrorising our towns.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “This government is delivering on the people’s priorities by giving policing the biggest funding increase in a decade. It will mean more officers tackling the crime blighting our streets, so people can feel safe in their communities. The police must now make full use of this significant investment to deliver for the public.”