Speaking in today’s Assembly Debate on Wales’ Police Settlement for 2017/18, North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood welcomed the fall in crime across Wales and England, and the announcement by North Wales Police of the recruitment of seventeen extra Police Officers in the region.
He said:
“Under Labour, our police were bogged down in paperwork.This UK Government has cut red tape and given police just one simple target - to cut crime.
“As I stated last year,crime had fallen by more than 30% since 2010, according to the Independent Crime Survey for England and Wales.
“Although total Police recorded crime across Wales, excluding fraud, was up 6% in the year ending September 2016, an assessment by the UK’s Statistics Authority found that police recorded crime data did not meet the required standard and it is not currently considered a reliable measure.
“In contrast, it was confirmed in December 2016 that data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales retained its National Statistics ‘badge’. This data showed an estimated 6.2 million incidences of crime in the year ending September 2016, down 6% on the year.
“In North Wales, seventeen extra Police Officers and an additional six members of staff will be recruited.
“At a North Wales Police briefing last month, we heard that although they had to deliver further planned savings of £7.3 million up to 2020, implementation of their Efficiency Review recommendations would deliver evidence-based resource allocations, improve quality of service and invest £1.2 million in growth pressures.
“They also highlighted Crime Survey findings of reduced risk of personal and household crime in the region, and increased numbers of special constables, police special volunteers and volunteer police cadets.”
“North Wales Police also detailed their collaboration with the Merseyside and Cheshire Forces, recognising operational reality and reinforcing why Police devolution would be bad for Wales.”
Mr Isherwood also referred to the he Home Office review of the Police Funding Formula after revised proposals in 2015 were suspended.
He said: “These would have seen a share of the amount distributed by the formula to the four Welsh Police Forces falling by 9%, with North Wales receiving 0.88% of the amount distributed to the 43 Forces across England and Wales.
“They now, receive, 1.03%, with the amount received per head ranking 23rd out of 43 when the Council Tax Legacy Grant is taken into account.
“Thanks to Welsh Government policy, over half a Billion pounds in council tax legacy grants being provided to Police Forces in England in 2017/18, will not be available for Forces in Wales.
“I have written to the Home Office emphasising that the Police Funding Formula is too reliant on a small number of measures to reflect the relative needs of the 43 Forces, and that rural deprivation and adversity must not be ignored.”