The first budget of the new Government was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves today with no mention of solutions to fix the failing criminal justice system or certainty on funding for policing.
Following a speech which failed to outline the direction of travel in relation to the police and the courts, Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said:
“The Home Office is one of the key departments of Government and yet hardly featured in today’s budget.
“As the voice of the public in policing, I am sure victims across West Mercia who are facing delays to get the justice they expect and deserve, are in disbelief at a two-hour speech which chose to give focus to issues such as “carbon capture”, but not capturing criminals.
“It’s baffling. I was looking to today’s announcement to give certainty on police funding as I focus on delivering my new police and crime plan and start to look at West Mercia Police’s budget for the next financial year.
“There is no doubt that this uncertainty will mean higher council tax rises, paid by hard working people across West Mercia, and more police officers taken from the front line keeping us safe.
“Commitments were made on more housing, but there was no mention of how those new communities will be kept safe. There was also a further dent in the budget for local policing with a National Insurance increase hitting West Mercia Police with a £4.2 million bill.
“I urge the Chancellor to clearly set out how she proposes to fund the rise in employers’ National Insurance that will affect policing and make the investment in our courts service to reduce the backlogs.”