Oldham MP slams PM’s 'hollow policing pledge'

Debbie Abrahams

Boris Johnson’s flagship police recruitment pledge will leave more than half of forces below 2010 officer levels and entrench existing inequalities between forces, Labour’s analysis shows.
 
Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, said, “The Government has confirmed that officer numbers will be allocated using an outdated funding formula, described by its own Policing Minister as “manifestly unfair”.
 
“Since 2010 Greater Manchester Police have lost 1,704 officers and 1,000 civilian staff. The announcement of 20,000 officers won’t all be going to local forces.

Approximately 7,000 are to go to national units such as the National Crime Agency, leaving 13,000 to share across all local police forces in the UK.
 
“It’s estimated that GMP will still be 952 officers down from 2010 levels, a far cry from PM Johnson’s hollow policing pledge. In addition to GMP, dozens of forces will still be far short of 2010 levels since the Tories and Lib Dems coalition government, and subsequent Tory governments.  
  
“Boris Johnson thinks he can get away with misleading people, but this again shows he can’t be trusted. The truth is the brutal cuts he and his colleagues voted for will not be reversed and our communities will continue to be less safe as a result.
 
“Labour will end austerity and properly invest in the police, youth services, our NHS and other public services to rebuild our communities.”

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