THE Government has now recruited 20,000 new police officers in England and Wales, according to new figures published this week.
Today’s announcement confirms that the Conservative Party has delivered on its 2019 manifesto commitment to hire 20,000 additional officers, bringing the total number of officers to a new record high.
This police uplift programme has added 450 additional police officers to Essex Police within the last three years, meeting the target set by government. Using local resources as well, the force has expanded by a total of 900 since 2016.
Roger Hirst, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, commented:
“The Government’s National Police Uplift Programme has made a real difference here in Essex. It has provided the funding for 450 additional officers, and by using the local precept freedom we have doubled that, adding 900 officers over recent years. Essex Police is now by far the biggest it has ever been.
“That has meant that we can deliver on the Government’s priority to Get Crime Down. Our new Town Centre Teams, our Problem-Solving Teams, the boost to Neighbourhood Policing and the new Rural Engagement Team have all helped reduce crime. Homicide has been halved since 2016, as has burglary, and anti-social behaviour has been cut by 60%. We have more to do on violent crime and sexual assault, but even domestic abuse is now falling, down by 9% in the last year.
Working with this Conservative Government we are delivering on what matters to you and keeping Essex residents safe. Safe and secure communities are the bedrock on which we build prosperity and well-being for everyone.”
The Home Secretary, Rt Hon Suella Braverman KC MP, said:
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, on their streets and in their homes.
“Now we’ve delivered on our 2019 manifesto promise, with more than 20,000 new police officers.
“With a record 150,000 police officers across England and Wales, people can trust in the Conservatives to keep our streets safe and deliver for local areas.”
This is Conservative Party delivery in action and represents the fulfilment of a key 2019 manifesto promise. It comes as part of a wider plan of action from the Conservatives to tackle crime across the nation.
Our Beating Crime Plan will deliver the change a safer Britain. We have invested a record amount in our bobbies with a £17.2bn policing budget for 2023/24. Our Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act will give our new recruits and courts with the powers they need to tackle serious crime head on. We’ve also kickstarting our £100 million Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to protect the vulnerable in our society.
Our commitment to fighting crime, and our plan, is already driving results. Since 2010 we have cut crime by almost 50% – making our communities safer. This has meant that we have reduced theft by 20 per cent, and domestic burglary by 30 per cent. And we’ve also taken 90,000 knives off our streets through stop and search, surrender initiatives and other targeted police action since 2019.
When it comes to the safety of your streets and our neighbourhoods, only the Conservatives can be trusted to deliver.
