'Extra £450m Funding' For Police In England And Wales - FOW 24 NEWS

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'Extra £450m Funding' For Police In England And Wales


A potential £450m in extra funding for police in England and Wales in the next financial year has been announced by the Home Office....


Police and crime commissioners are to be given the power to raise the portion of council tax which goes towards policing by £12 per household annually.

That would raise £270m, while £130m for national priorities, such as firearms, would come from central government.

An extra £50m for counter terrorism has already been pledged.

Although funding for police was protected in the 2015 spending review, police and crime commissioners have been expressing concern about increased demands on officers.

In a statement, the Home Office said the settlement for 2018-19 came after Policing Minister Nick Hurd spoke to all 43 forces about the issues they face.

"It is clear that with more victims of serious, hidden crimes such as domestic abuse, modern slavery and child sexual exploitation coming forward, this has placed greater demand on policing," it said.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hurd said the extra money was a "comprehensive settlement that makes sure police have the resources they need".

He said the government had responded positively to requests from the police and crime commissioners for "more flexibility" around the level of the police precept included in council tax.
But Mr Hurd acknowledged that the £270m increase in funding would depend on every commissioner applying to raise their precept.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott questioned whether the settlement would "really enable police forces to meet the challenge and the reality of modern policing".

She said: "Is the minister confident that his funding settlement will allow forces to remain at current staff levels and can he give an undertaking that there will be no more cuts in police numbers."
Police reforms

In its statement, the Home Office added it had identified a further £100m of potential savings to be made through "smarter procurement of everything from cars to uniform".

It also said improving levels of productivity could see officers spend an extra hour a day on the frontline.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "Taxpayers will invest more money in forces because the work our officers do to protect us is absolutely vital and we recognise demand is changing.

"However, my message to police forces is that this increased investment must mean we raise the pace of reform.

"For too long embracing digital and increasing productivity have been tomorrow's policing problems - now they are today's necessities. The government is committed to meeting this challenge and we want policing to do the same."
'Extra £450m Funding' For Police In England And Wales Reviewed by FOW 24 News on December 19, 2017 Rating: 5 A potential £450m in extra funding for police in England and Wales in the next financial year has been announced by the Home Office....

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