Police funding 'unacceptable' - Deputy Mayor

Date published: 20 July 2018


The Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester says it is “unacceptable” that local communities are bearing the brunt of the Government’s failure to fund policing fairly and properly.

Beverley Hughes, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, was reacting to Home Office statistics, revealed yesterday (Thursday), which show a continued rise in recorded crime across the city-region.

It follows eight years of real-term cuts imposed on Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

The statistics show a 27-per-cent increase in total recorded crime in Greater Manchester, with a rise across the majority of crime types, including sexual offences and robbery.

The Deputy Mayor said: “Official statistics once again show a substantial increase in recorded crime. While some of this is down to improvements in how the police record crime, these figures highlight the increasing demand on policing, and the impact on communities.

“But while our police officers and staff remain committed to protecting our homes and streets, over-stretched resources and the changing nature of crime means our communities are bearing the brunt of the Government’s failure to fund the police fairly – and that is simply unacceptable.”

The figures for Greater Manchester include the following:

Total recorded crime – 340,005 – 27% increase

Violence against a person - 94,211 – 41% increase

Sexual offences - 9,550 – 39% increase

Burglary - 31,970 – 4% increase

Robbery - 6,939 – 48% increase

Theft offences - 122,948 – 6% increase

Vehicle crime - 30,863 – 19% increase

However, some minor crime offences have seen a small decrease, such as:

Shoplifting - 17,400 – 3% decrease

Bicycle theft - 4,343 – 9% decrease

Theft from person - 6,648 – 1% decrease

The Deputy Mayor added: “Just last week, 250 GMP officers were pulled out of Greater Manchester to police a national operation for President Trump’s visit to the UK, taking away vital resources from local people here at a time when our emergency services are faced with unprecedented demand.

“The Government has to stop taking our police service for granted and realise the impact that years of cuts and tumbling officer numbers is having on our communities.”


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