MPs: We need more police officers to tackle crime surge
More frontline police officers are needed 'as a matter of urgency' to quell the surge in crime across the region, MPs have said.
Across the West Midlands crime has surged by 37 per cent in five years, with huge increases in violent crimes, sex offences and robberies.
It comes as figures released this week revealed the number of police officers across the country has hit a record low, with West Midlands Police losing almost a quarter of its officers in the last seven years.
And MPs from across the party divide have called for increased funding for police forces – with boosting the number of bobbies on the beat a priority.
Eddie Hughes, the Conservative MP for Walsall North, vowed to ‘continue to lobby for more cash’, which he said was ‘certainly needed’ for our police forces.
However, he said he was concerned about where the new cash would be spent, accusing West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson of not making the best use of previous funding.
“The PCC has had money and has spent it elsewhere, while what we really need as a matter of urgency is more frontline police officers,” he said.
“Meanwhile police stations are closing down.
“The argument about frontline policing is that they don’t catch criminals in the act, but that is taking away from the fact that they provide a major deterrent to crime.
“People must feel that they are safe and secure and criminals must know that they can get caught. Sadly, this isn’t the case.”
The PCC says he is doing all he can to drive efficiencies, which are ‘helping officers spend more time tackling crime’.
Pat McFadden, the Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, said: "We have lost more than 2,000 officers in the West Midlands since 2010 and the thin blue line has got thinner. This cannot help when crime is rising. I firmly believe we need more officers to tackle this issue."
Labour’s deputy leader and West Bromwich East MP Tom Watson said the rise in crime was a result of Government austerity measures and ‘slashing the number of police on our streets’.
“The Tory party, which once made claim to be the party of law and order, is now the party of crime and disorder,” he said.
The Police Federation said the reduction in officers meant: “We are sleepwalking into a nightmare.”
In the year to March 2018, officer numbers across the country fell from 123,142 to 122,404 – a fall of 0.6 per cent.
