Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Police Community Support Officers

Monday 17 January 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Mohammad Yasin questioned the Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner's decision to raise council tax instead of providing more resources.
  • The government is committed to developing a new funding formula for policing to address current issues with the existing formula.
  • Sarah Jones proposed neighbourhood policing hubs and funding for new community watch initiatives to combat crime in her area.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mohammad Yasin Lab Bedford
Policing & Resources Local Government
Context

The question stems from concerns about the adequacy of police community support officers in Bedford.

Question

I am concerned that our police and crime commissioner was elected on a platform to address unfair funding for Bedfordshire police but is now raising local council tax instead of providing more resources. With major towns and an international airport, Bedfordshire should not be funded as a rural force. Will the Minister provide adequate funding before asking my constituents to pay more?

Answer from Kit Malthouse

The Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner is doing a fantastic job with significant support in the county. We are committed to developing a new funding formula for policing, which we hope will address current issues with the existing formula. A meeting was held this morning with the chair of the technical body working on this.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly commit to providing specific resources before increasing local council taxes.

How: We Are Committed To Developing A New Funding Formula

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Q2 Mohammad Yasin Lab Bedford
Policing & Resources Local Government
Context

The question addresses the Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner's campaign promises to address unfair funding for local policing.

Question

Our Conservative police and crime commissioner was elected on a promise to fix the unfair funding formula for Bedfordshire police. However, his solution involves raising council tax instead of providing more resources. With significant towns and an international airport, Bedfordshire should not be treated as a rural force. Will the Minister provide necessary funds before increasing local taxes?

Answer from Kit Malthouse

The Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner is doing a fantastic job. We are committed to developing a new funding formula for policing, which we hope will address current issues with the existing formula. A meeting was held this morning with the chair of the technical body working on this.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly commit to providing specific resources before increasing local council taxes.

How: We Are Committed To Developing A New Funding Formula

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Q3 Sarah Jones Lab Croydon West
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The question addresses concerns from Conservative MPs about the current policing system being unfair to victims and lacking necessary powers or resources.

Question

Conservative MPs have criticized the current system as favouring perpetrators over victims, with people afraid of going out at night due to a lack of police presence. We propose neighbourhood policing hubs, prevention teams, and funding for new community watch initiatives. Can the Minister provide any updates on addressing these concerns?

Answer from Kit Malthouse

The hon. Lady may not be aware that we have recruited 11,000 police officers and seen significant falls in knife crime and other neighbourhood crimes. The Prime Minister has made fighting crime a priority with the recruitment of 20,000 more police officers to tackle issues such as county lines and youth violence.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address concerns raised by Conservative MPs or provide specific measures to mitigate their disquiet.

How: We Have Recruited 11,000 Police Officers

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