Extra £1.1 billion in police funding; to recruit 6000 additional officers

The government has announced a funding boost for policing system, raising the amount available by more than £1.1 billion for the year.

The total funding available for 2020-21 would be £15.2 billion, nearly 10 percent increase on the core grant provided to forces last year.

The government said the increase in funding, billed as the biggest in a decade, will allow police to recruit 6,000 of the 20,000 additional police officers by the end of March 2021.

“This government is delivering on the people’s priorities by giving policing the biggest funding increase in a decade,” said Priti Patel, Home Secretary.

“It will mean more officers tackling the crime blighting our streets, so people can feel safe in their communities.”

She urged the police to make full use of the investment.

Responding to the announcement, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has called for the police chiefs and the government to make tackling violence a top priority.

“We welcome the Government’s rhetoric on being tough on crime and more funding for police forces, but this must now turn into reality, including more police resources into local communities and better funding for the justice system to tackle the root cause of offending,” commented James Lowman, chief executive of the ACS.

“The police recorded crime data does not reflect what local shops tells about shop theft and crime they experience in their stores. Shop theft remains prevalent and is the number one trigger for violence and abuse of staff,” he added.