- Figures released today show that 612 extra police officers have been recruited in Lancashire as part of the Conservative Government’s manifesto pledge to put 20,000 more officers on the streets.
- Since the recruitment drive was launched in 2019, the Conservative Government has now recruited almost 21,000 new police officers in England and Wales, according to new figures released today.
- The additional police officers for Lancashire builds on the Conservative Government’s Beating Crime Plan and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act – reducing crime, protecting victims and keeping our streets safe.
Burnley and Padiham’s MP has welcomed the announcement that 612 extra police officers have been recruited in Lancashire since September 2019, bringing the total number of officers to 3,587.
He said this is proof that the Conservative Party is delivering on the manifesto that he was elected on in 2019, and comes as part of a wider plan of action to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour across the area.
The Government’s Beating Crime Plan, backed by record police funding of £17.2 billion for 2023-2024, will deliver a safer Britain. It is supported by legislation backed by Antony in the form of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which is giving the police and courts the powers they need to tackle serious crime head on. A share of £100 million extra is also being provided to Lancashire Constabulary to deliver on the Violence Against Women & Girls Strategy, and £2 million to fund antisocial behaviour interventions and enforcement in key hotspots like Burnley and Padiham town centres.
Commenting, Antony Higginbotham MP said:
“I meet with Burnley & Padiham Police at least once a month, and I know from those discussions just how valuable this additional 612 officers will be. It means more officers on our Neighbourhood Policing Team, more officers responding to emergencies, more officers dealing with complex and online crime, and more officers helping to crack down on crime in our local communities.”“These recruits, many of which are about to finish training, mean there are now 3.587 police officers in Lancashire, and more police officers than ever before across the county. I’ve never shied away from saying that I’m on the side of the law abiding majority, and want to see more criminals have their door broken down, so they can be taken off our streets. This is a key part of delivering on that. It’s also proof that it is only the Conservatives who can keep our country safe, give people peace of mind, and deliver on the priorities of local residents.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman added:
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, on their streets, and in their homes. And now we’ve delivered on our 2019 manifesto promise, with more than 20,000 additional 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.”
Several key plans and policies are being brought together by Lancashire’s Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden, to take the fight to criminals and those blighting communities with ASB and other crime. The Government’s Beating Crime Plan and ASB Action Plan, alongside the Commissioner’s own plan - ‘Leading the Fight Against Crime’ – is ensuring a clear focus for Lancashire’s police on organised crime, antisocial behaviour, drug dealing, sexual violence, burglary and robbery, and dangerous driving.
Commenting on the latest figures, Andrew Snowden said that
“these extra officers are on top of all those recruited to replace retiring and leaving officers - so a huge amount of effort has gone into the recruitment and training.
“These officers will join the front line as they finish their training over the coming months and the work I have already been doing to take the fight to organised crime and make our streets safer will be further reinforced by this massive investment”
Background
- Recruiting almost 21,000 new police officers, delivering and exceeding our manifesto promise, helping to keep our streets safe. We have recruited 20,951 new officers since announcing our Police Uplift Programme in September 2019, backed by £3.6 billion in extra funding, bringing the total number of officers to 149,572 – the highest number ever (HO, Official statistics, 26 April 2023, link; NAO, Press Release, 25 March 2022, link).
- Cutting crime, excluding fraud, by almost 50 per cent since March 2010, making our streets and communities safer. In the year ending March 2010 there were 9,544,000 offences in England and Wales excluding fraud and by the year ending June 2022 the number of offences had fallen to 4,930,000. The survey did not include computer misuse and fraud until 2015-6 so it is not possible to provide a comparison for all crime (including fraud and computer use) since 2010 (ONS, Crime Survey for England and Wales, 26 January 2023, link).
- Since March 2010, violent crime has fallen by 38 per cent; all theft offences have fallen by 47 per cent; and domestic burglary has fallen by 56 per cent (ONS, Crime Survey for England and Wales, 26 January 2023, link).
- Investing over £17 billion of funding in our police, giving them the resources they need to make the streets safer. Police funding is £17.2 billion for 2023-2024, including £1 billion for Counter Terror policing, as well as £1.1 billion for tackling national priorities such as county lines drugs, child sexual abuse, and modern slavery (HO, Press Release, 15 December 2023, link).
- Enshrining the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act into law, keeping dangerous offenders behind bars for longer. Our PCSC Act introduces whole life orders for child killers, life sentences for drivers who kill while intoxicated, and ends the automatic early release of dangerous violent and sexual offenders (MoJ, Press Release, 9 March 2021, link; Hansard, 5 July 2021, Division 44, link).
- Launching our £100 million VAWG Strategy, making our streets safer for women and girls. The Strategy will support victims by launching a 24/7 sexual assault helpline and VAWG Transport Champions, while making our society safer with revised educational guidelines and a £5 million Safety of Women at Night fund (HO, News Story, 21 July 2021, link).
