Extra officers welcome to ease local policing crisis, say Lib Dems

Gloucestershire Police is to get an additional 46 police officers under plans by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to put 20,000 new officers on the streets of the UK.

In the first wave of the roll-out, the Home Office will provide £750 million to support the 43 forces to recruit up to 6,000 new officers by the end of 2020-21.

In Gloucestershire the number of officers being recruited in 46.

Dr Rebecca Trimnell, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Gloucester, said: "These new officers are welcome because we know neighbourhood policing is in crisis in Gloucester.

"But it should be recognised that nationally between March 2010 and March 2018 there are over 21,000 fewer police officers.

"In Gloucestershire there were 309 fewer police officers in March 2019 compared with 2009 - a cut of 22%.

"So, while these new 46 officers are welcome and will help increase the police presence on our streets, there is still a long way to go until Gloucestershire has the numbers of officers it had a decade ago.

"I also want to see more PCSOs recruited. There are 50 fewer than 10 years ago - meaning the county has lost a third of its PCSOs in a decade."

Dr Trimnell added: "The public should not be fooled by Boris Johnson's smoke and mirrors. He claims to be putting extra police officers on the streets but all he is doing is going some of the way to replace what has been lost in the last decade because of Conservative austerity.

"A Liberal Democrat Government would increase community policing, investing an extra £300 million a year in local police forces."