Richard Drax, MP for South Dorset, yesterday welcomed the announcement of the £450 million Police Funding Settlement for 2018-2019, praising the police for “doing a wonderful job,” while adding, “but I would be failing in my duty if I did not speak up for the funding of Dorset police, which have been underfunded for years.”
Drax was responding to the announcement by Nick Hurd, Minister for Policing and Fire Service, which included an amount of £124.6 million for Dorset.
“Every increase is welcome,” says Drax, “but historically, we remain very poorly funded in Dorset. We have several large towns, which soak up most of the policing, interspersed with large, relatively unpopulated areas. This makes policing more, not less, difficult and expensive. I shall continue to press for a fairer allocation.”
Drax also asked the Minister to agree that, “although things such as cyber-crime are taking police officers off the streets, we need to keep a uniformed presence on the ground, because that is where the deterrent is most effective and the intelligence is gathered.”
Mr Hurd responded that, “I know for sure that my constituents are much more vulnerable to crime online than they are when they walk up and down Ruislip high street, and our policing needs to respond to that. I also understand the importance that our constituents attach to seeing the police on our streets. Getting the balance right around capabilities is the job that we have given to police chiefs and democratically accountable local police and crime commissioners.”
The Minister said the £450 million was based upon conversations with every single police force in England and Wales.
“Together with £1.6 billion of police reserves, this represents a comprehensive settlement that makes sure that the police have the resources they need,” he said.