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Sir Mark Rowley: Met chief warns anti-crime pledges need funding Sir Mark Rowley: Met chief warns anti-crime pledges need funding
(about 4 hours later)
Sir Mark Rowley Sir Mark Rowley said police were carrying the "scar tissue" of austerity cuts
The government's pledges on crime will not be kept without substantial extra money for policing in next month's spending review, the head of the Metropolitan Police has said. Police will need more funding in next month's spending review to meet the government's pledges to cut crime, the head of the Metropolitan Police has told the BBC.
In an article for the Times, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and five other senior police chiefs referred to a decade of underinvestment and new pressures on police forces. Sir Mark Rowley praised the government's "sensible ambition" to halve knife crime and violence against women and girls, as well as boost neighbourhood policing, but said "ambition and money go alongside each other".
He said because of those reasons, the importance of the forthcoming spending review could not be underestimated The Met commissioner told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that police forces across the country were carrying the "scar tissue of years of austerity cuts".
The Home Office said it was "backing the police to protect our communities and keep our streets safe".The Home Office said it was "backing the police to protect our communities and keep our streets safe".
Sir Mark previously warned of "eye-watering choices" and "substantial" cuts unless the government stumped up more cash for police in England and Wales. More "bobbies on the beat" has been a central promise of Sir Keir Starmer's government.
His editorial on Wednesday, co-written with five chief constables from forces around England, referred to the police as "overstretched" and "saddled with debt, broken buildings and out-dated technology". Last month, the prime minister said thousands of neighbourhood police officers and nearly 400 police community support officers would be recruited over the next 12 months, as part of the target to hit 13,000 by 2029.
He said these police forces were then having to respond to increasing demand and more social volatility - such as last summer's riots - as well as pressures from the recent emergency release of prisoners. Sir Mark told the BBC: "We want to do all the things the government committed to a year ago... We cannot do that without more money as well."
In what amounts to a direct plea to the chancellor, Sir Mark said that without significant investment there would be no restoration of neighbourhood policing and no halving of knife crime or violence against women and girls - which are all government promises. He said police forces are "much smaller when you compare the population they're policing than they were a decade or 15 years ago", before austerity under the previous government.
The policing settlement, Sir Mark argued, will directly influence if officers can deliver the government's pledges. "Our model is out of date," he said. "We're not just asking for more money, we want radical reform in policing as well."
He added that "a lack of investment will bake in the structural inefficiencies for another three years and will lose a once in a generation opportunity to reform the service". His suggestions for reform include having fewer policing organisations across the country that can be "more efficient, more capable", and a "proper national police agency that helps co-ordinate things".
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due to deliver her spending review on 11 June, which is when the government outlines how it will fund public services over several years. Police also face growing pressure from new "big challenges", including global and online threats, as well as social volatility - such as last summer's riots, Sir Mark said.
She will set out the government's day-to-day spending for four years to 2028‑29, as well as for capital spending for five years to 2029‑30. It comes as Sir Mark and five other senior police chiefs wrote in a letter to the Times that years of cuts had left forces overstretched and working in "broken" buildings with "outdated" technology.
The amount of funding that policing gets is set at spending reviews and the majority of the money comes from the Home Office. But the detail of the funding is outlined and agreed every year by the House of Commons at a police funding settlement. They warned that a lack of investment would "bake in the structural inefficiencies" of police forces for another three years and risk future reforms.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due to deliver her spending review on 11 June, outlining how the government will fund public services in the next few years.
She will set out day-to-day spending for four years to 2028‑29, as well as capital spending for five years to 2029‑30.
The amount of funding policing gets is set at spending reviews, and the majority comes from the Home Office. But how it is allocated is agreed every year by the House of Commons.
The government's plan for neighbourhood policing involves patrols in "hotspot" areas during the busiest periods, such as Friday and Saturday nights, while anti-social behaviour leads in every force will be expected to develop tailored action plans.
Earlier this year, the government was able to reverse plans by two forces to cut the number of officers by providing extra funding, after they warned that existing levels meant they were having to scale back.
Labour also promised to halve violence against women and girls, put domestic abuse specialists in police control rooms, set up dedicated courts for rape trials, and halve knife and serious violent crime.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are backing the police to protect our communities and keep our streets safe with up to £17.6bn this year, an increase of up to £1.2bn.A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are backing the police to protect our communities and keep our streets safe with up to £17.6bn this year, an increase of up to £1.2bn.
"This includes £200m to kickstart putting 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers, PCSOs and special constables that the public will see back on their streets and patrolling communities, as part of our Plan for Change.""This includes £200m to kickstart putting 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers, PCSOs and special constables that the public will see back on their streets and patrolling communities, as part of our Plan for Change."
More "bobbies on the beat" has been a central promise of Sir Keir's government. Additional reporting by Emma Rossiter and Francesca Gillett.
Last month, he said 2,500 police neighbourhood officers and nearly 400 PCSOs would be recruited over the next 12 months, as part of the target to hit 13,000 by 2029.
Earlier this year some forces warned that existing funding levels meant they were making cuts to existing officers this year. Lincolnshire Police said it would be cancelling its forthcoming intake of new police officers and Essex Police said it was planning to make all 99 of its PCSOs redundant - although both forces reversed the plans after a funding package from the government.
The government's plan for neighbourhood policing also involves patrols in "hotspot" areas during the busiest periods, such as Friday and Saturday nights.
An anti-social behaviour lead in every force will be expected to develop tailored action plans with residents and businesses.
Reducing knife crime and violence against women and girls is also among the government's priorities.
Before the election, Labour promised to halve violence against women and girls, put domestic abuse specialists in police control rooms, set up dedicated courts for rape trials, and also halve knife and serious violent crime.
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