Police need funding boost to tackle rising crime and terrorism, according to APCC

  • Politics

Hundreds of millions of pounds in additional funding is required to help police tackle crime, the Home Office has been warned.

An additional £440 million is needed in 2018/19 and £845 million in 2019/20 to counter increasing crime rates and the increased threat of terrorism, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) said.

A requirement of a further 5,000 police officers for local duties and 1,100 more armed officers would be funded by the increase.

This comes after official figures showed a 13% increase in the number of offences recorded in the year to June.

The APCC, which supports Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and local policing bodies across England and Wales, gathered evidence from 43 forces at the request of the Home Office.

There's an increased threat of terrorism. Credit: PA

Police spending has been protected in real terms until 2020, but the national body said changes in demand meant the current agreement is not sufficient.

The proposed additional funding for police would represent an increase of between 1.5% and 2% above inflation each year.

Roger Hirst, APCC finance lead, said the funding settlement "no longer ensures the resilience of police forces" to respond to increased demand.

He added: "We want to put the service on the front foot, enabling the police to undertake early intervention and preventative activity and to increase service levels, and for this further funding is essential."

The APCC want more armed officers. Credit: PA

Paddy Tipping, finance deputy lead, said: "This year the police have had to respond to horrific terrorist acts and unprecedented levels of demand at our control rooms and, increasingly, we know that officers and staff, whose work we all value so greatly, have become stretched like never before.

"If we take the example of local policing, the bedrock of policing in this country as reactive demand is growing, and more complex crimes are increasing, the ability to deliver this key component of policing is becoming ever more difficult.

"We believe that a lack of investment will lead to increases in crime and a reduction of police and state legitimacy.

"All PCCs are committed to doing everything they can do to keep people safe in their communities and we will continue to work with police chiefs and engage with the Home Office to ensure we get the appropriate resources to do so."