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POLICE FUNDING

Extra funds are

welcomed, but

more still needed,
directed towards supporting policing local
communities with police officers on the ground
not staff in offices

He added: “We also have to ensure we are
says Fed chair structured in a way which deploys resources
as efficiently as possible, I’m not convinced the
current operating model achieves that.

Ms Patel said that the additional £1.1bn
will help support the delivery of the Beating
Crime Plan, which set out the Government’s
mission to deliver fewer victims, safer
neighbourhoods, and a more secure country.
She said: “Crimes including theft, burglary
est Midlands Police Federation chair legislation, and getting criticised for being too and knife crime are down, we’ve got an
Rich Cooke says the provisional harsh and also for being too lenient. additional 11,053 police officers on our streets,
Wpolice funding settlement for “Policing has picked up the pieces for other and we’ve shut down 1,500 drugs lines which
2022/23 will not be enough to undo the services hit by cuts during the austerity years, exploit the young and the vulnerable.
damage of the austerity years. such as the ambulance service, mental health “But we must go further and faster to
Home Secretary Priti Patel has published services and the voluntary sector. make our communities even safer, so today I
details of the provisional settlement. Policing “It’s not just numbers though. Police am giving our excellent police forces and law
will receive an extra £1.1 billion next year, stations and offices have closed. The enforcement agencies more funding to do just
which represents a seven per cent increase on infrastructure has been decimated so, in fact, that, in line with our Beating Crime Plan.
last year’s figures. forces have nowhere to put the new influx of “Reducing crime is a top priority for this
The money West Midlands Police receives officers, nowhere for them to store their kit, no Government and I will continue working with
from the Government will rise from £620.8 canteens and so on. police leaders to ensure this unprecedented
million in 2020/21 to £655.5m in 2021/22 and “They’ve also put huge pressure on police investment results in less crime and fewer
then to £694.9m in 2022/23. officers who volunteer as tutors. Some tutors, victims.”
But Rich said that will not be sufficient to with some being fresh out of training Jack Dromey, the Labour MP for Erdington
meet the demands of modern policing. themselves, are mentoring three to six who died suddenly on 7 January this year, had
“The Government needs to come up with a students and this leaves them all, and the been in touch with West Midlands Police
long-term funding settlement, so that forces public, vulnerable. Federation before Christmas, to find out
can plan and prioritise accordingly,” he said. “It seems the Government has budgeted officials’ views on the funding settlement and
“Working year to year does not lead to solely for the new officers but not the intricate seek their thoughts on the challenges the
effective policing for the communities of the infrastructure needed for them to be effective Force, and officers, were facing.
West Midlands, nor the country as a whole. which was sadly dismantled as forces tried to
“West Midlands Police lost more than cope in the austerity years.
2,200 officers during the austerity years. The “What was dismantled in a couple of pen THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS
uplift announced by the Prime Minister in discarded. The Government has to consider “
strokes as part of the budget cuts cannot be
2019 was welcome but it still won’t take the rebuilt by simply trying to re-employ what was TO COME UP WITH A
Force back to pre-austerity levels of policing.
And we’re replacing experienced officers with this but also needs to urgently address the LONG-TERM FUNDING
inexperienced officers. issue of police officer pay. The pay freeze has
“Policing has changed considerably since had a massive impact on officers who have SETTLEMENT, SO THAT
the austerity years. Demand has escalated, been right in the frontline of the response to
with increases in traditional crime but also new the pandemic. We need a motivated, properly
and emerging crimes like cyber-crime, human training and equipped workforce. FORCES CAN PLAN AND
trafficking, and child sexual exploitation. Rich has called on the Police and Crime
“The pandemic has added to this with Commissioner and the Chief Constable to PRIORITISE ACCORDINGLY.
officers having to adapt to rapidly changing ensure that every penny of extra funding is

www.polfed.org/westmids federation February/March 2022 33