Richard Holden welcomes that 136 police officers have been recruited in Durham since 2019 as part of the Government’s pledge to put 20,000 more officers on the streets by March 2023. This brings the total of officers up to 1,276, which builds on the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill – which will reduce crime and protect victims.
The latest figures are part of the Conservative Government’s drive to get 20,000 more police officers on the street by March 2023, and puts the Government on track to fulfil its manifesto commitment with 68 per cent of the target now met.
However, the figures show Labour Mayor’s Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham, who run the Met and Greater Manchester Police forces, the largest and third largest forces in the country, failed to meet their targets for recruiting additional officers. Sadiq Khan fell 133 officers short of his target and Andy Burnham fell 30 short of his.
Commenting, Richard Holden said:
“From working with our local police force, I know just how valuable more police officers will be in helping crackdown on crime in our local community.
“The 136 additional recruits mean there are now 1,276 police officers in Durham Constabulary, helping to pursue criminals, and keep neighbourhoods safe. We’ve seen continued issues with Anti-Social Behaviour and low-level crime in places like Crook and Consett and it is now vital that our Police and Crime Commissioner ensures that these areas get the officers they need from the 11 per cent uplift we’ve seen locally in police numbers.
“These figures also reveal that where Labour are in power, they are failing to deliver. Once again this demonstrates that only the Conservatives can be trusted to keep people safe and deliver on the priorities of the British people”.
Commenting, Home Secretary Priti Patel said:
“When this Government took office in 2019, we made a promise to the British people to recruit 20,000 extra police officers to cut crime and keep communities safe - and we are delivering on that pledge.
“These extra officers are getting out on the streets helping to cut crime and protect communities up and down the country – and they are reflecting the communities they serve better than ever before, with the highest ever proportion of female officers and officers from diverse backgrounds out there making a difference.
“It is disappointing to see Labour Mayors in charge of some of our biggest police forces failing to meet their targets for recruiting more officers, particularly given how quick they are to tour TV studios demanding more help from the government for their own failures.”
“Our Beating Crime Plan will give these officers the powers they need to stop crimes happening, support victims and keep serious offenders in prison for longer – keeping the streets safer for all.”