Stockton North MP, Alex Cunningham, has condemned government cuts to policing after figures released recently show Cleveland has lost 234 police officers since 2010 under the Tory-led Government.
Figures released by the Home Office show the Government’s cuts to policing have resulted in the lowest number of police officers in England and Wales for over a decade.
This comes on the back of figures showing the proportion of crimes being solved by police is falling, with 30,000 fewer crimes solved in the last year, including 7,000 violent crimes against the person.
Alex said:
“It is extremely worrying that thanks to this Conservative-led Government’s cuts to policing, we now have 234 fewer police officers in Cleveland alone, and 712 fewer across the wider North East.
“This Government’s reduction in frontline police puts our communities at risk with fewer frontline officers, fewer officers responding to 999 calls and less visible police. The morale of our officers is at an all-time low.
“These huge cuts to policing are making it harder for the police to catch criminals and deliver justice. 30,000 fewer crimes were solved under this Government in the last year, including 7,000 crimes of violence against the person.
“I know that Chief Constables and their teams are trying their hardest to deal with challenging crime issues, but thanks to the current Government’s cuts, thousands of victims are being denied justice. Thousands more criminals are getting away with it – so this Tory-led Government needs to urgently rethink next year’s police budget cuts and stop letting our communities down.”