Repairing the damage

Lord Willy Bach, your Labour Police and Crime Commissioner, explains what cuts to police budgets really mean for Leicestershire.

Our MP claims the Tories are “the Party of Law and Order.” What a joke! Leicestershire has lost 550 police officers over recent years. Our Youth Services have been savaged. Now – surprise, surprise – just before a likely General Election, there is a promise of 20,000 new officers. Even if that promise is kept (and that’s a big if) it would still not get anywhere near the number lost to the cuts.

Meanwhile I have carefully and responsibly increased the number of police officers each year I have been in office. For this year, up to June 2020, the number is 107. By raising the police part of the Council Tax and making sensible use of Reserves, I have set about repairing the damage caused by almost a decade of Tory and Lib Dem austerity.

Of course the fall in police numbers affects the crime rate. Not only is there an increased population in Lutterworth and Broughton Astley, but new offences like Modern Slavery and People Trafficking demand specialist investigative skills.

It was unforgivable of the Tories to cut the police force to the level it did. A Labour Government will ensure we have the right number of officers to properly protect our communities.