NPCC Statement on Police Funding

On By Littum

The National Police Chief’s Council reacts to today’s announcement about the police support agreement.

Responding to today’s police funding announcement, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Finance, Chief Constable Paul Sanford, said:

“The funding settlement announced today presents real challenges for policing, with forces facing an estimated £1.3bn gap in funding over the next two years. This will inevitably lead to cuts across of forces.

“Investment in neighborhood policing is welcome, as is the government’s ambition to support and deliver the comprehensive reform our service needs to better protect the public in the long term.

“However, by ring-fencing funding for neighborhood policing, forces are unable to invest in other specialist areas of policing that are critical to our service.

“Crime is developing at a rapid pace and is becoming more and more complex in nature. At a time when society’s needs have never been greater, we cannot afford to cut back on our resources.

“We are fully committed to achieving the Government’s ambition to make our streets safer and reduce violence against women and girls. To do so, we must focus on recruiting the right people with the right skills, supported by the best technology, and not measure our effectiveness through officer numbers alone.

“Our current funding model is outdated and means the funding announced today will not be distributed equally across forces, resulting in some forces facing significant deficits. As part of wider police reform, we have long called for a new funding model that will help forces plan for the future and improve financial resilience.

“We continue to work with the Government to create greater productivity and efficiency in our police service, but without proper funding and investment, and without resilience left in police budgets, efficiency can only take us so far in meeting these challenges.

“We reaffirm our commitment to working closely with the Government to improve policing, including through the forthcoming spending review.”