Commissioner continues push for fair funding

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez says she will continue to work with the Government to get a better funding deal for Devon and Cornwall Police.

 

Responding to suggestions that Home Secretary Amber Rudd is considering calling a halt to the ongoing review into the police funding formula Ms Hernandez said that while this would remove some uncertainty about future police funding, it doesn’t change the fact that Devon and Cornwall Police does not get a fair share of the police budget.

“The chief constable and I have done our bit by making savings and finding ways to work more efficiently – as a community we are doing our doing bit by paying a little more each year through our council tax, now it’s up to the Government to make sure that the thin blue line does not get any thinner in Devon and Cornwall,” she said.

“Our Force receives £106 per head of population – that’s £4 below the national average which equates to a difference of £7m a year and could increase our frontline strength by 150.

“London or Manchester might experience issues on a larger scale than Devon and Cornwall but the issues themselves are exactly the same so while our officers and staff play a key role in response to tragic incidents, wherever they occur, it is equally important that we have enough people to respond to the needs of our own communities.

“No other Force has worked so closely with the Home Office to try and get the funding formula right – we have provided the Home Office with significant evidence to explain the burden of demand on forces like ours.

“I was elected to represent the people of Devon and Cornwall and I will continue to do so at the highest possible level by continuing to work with Government to identify ways to properly fund local policing.

“It is vital that policing as a whole is enhanced, and not just the metropolitan police force areas.”