Police commissioner launches fair funding campaign
Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner has today (24th June) launched a campaign for fair funding in the fight against crime in the South West.
Tony Hogg is challenging the Government to change the way cash is allocated to police forces across the country.
He says Devon and Cornwall is systematically disadvantaged by a scandalous funding formula that favours big city police forces.
“It is time to make the voice of the South West heard. London based civil servants need to understand the anger of the local population that receives less money for its policing and other important public services from Government. In times of austerity it is vital that we receive our fair share,” said Mr Hogg.
Mr Hogg is calling on South West MPs and key decision makers to back his Fair Funding Campaign against a system that he says takes no account of a unique set of demands placed on Devon and Cornwall Police.
The problems Mr Hogg highlights are:
- Coping with the largest number of tourists of any force area in the country
- The peninsula’s rurality and associated levels of deprivation, particularly in parts of Cornwall, Plymouth and Torbay
- High levels of vulnerability resulting from an increasing incidence of mental health issues, an elderly population and low income families
- Relatively high levels of violent crime, sexual and public order offences
- The longest length of coastline and more than 300 ports and harbours with increased potential for human trafficking, slavery and illegal movement of goods
“Further spending cuts are inevitable over the life of this Parliament and we will continue to be hit harder than other forces if we do not address this now,” said Mr Hogg.
The impact of tourism on South West policing is central to the Fair Funding Campaign.
There are more than 10 million stays and 50 million day visits to Devon and Cornwall every year.
Between April and September more than 1 million people per month visit the two counties, peaking at 1.5 million in July and August.
It is estimated that the population of Devon and Cornwall swells by up to 21 per cent from 1.6 million to just under 2 million over the summer months.
That is an increase in excess of the normal population of Plymouth for six months of the year, leading to significantly increased demands on policing resources.
“No account is made in the formula for these additional numbers and yet funding is provided for daily visitor numbers which is to the benefit of London and other metropolitan centres that have a daily commuter influx,” said Mr Hogg.
“It is nonsense to argue that commuters create a bigger policing demand than tourist visitors, who are active from morning in to the late evening. This is not an argument against tourism just that central formulas should recognise the demands that it makes on local services including policing.”
"If Devon and Cornwall were funded to the average level of all police forces in England and Wales we would receive an additional £12m that would fund hundreds of extra officers."
“This funding squeeze is impacting on the quality and range of service that Devon and Cornwall Police can provide. Our resources are stretched to the limit and the unfairness of the national allocation of funds is creating significant additional problems,” he said.
Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said: “I fully support the PCC in this campaign to ensure Devon and Cornwall gets a fairer share of the overall police funding from the Home Office. It is fundamentally wrong that, because of the way the formula is currently written, the taxpayers of Devon and Cornwall are paying twice for policing.”
“Millions of people visit Devon and Cornwall every year, but most do not see the areas of deprivation that sit alongside the stunning coast and beautiful countryside. It is much harder to make a case for a change in the funding arrangements when people don't see crime taking place all around them. But, make no mistake, crime does happen in our rural, coastal and urban areas. I welcome the debate the PCC has started today.”
