Police Chief & Geraint Davies MP: Lib Dem & Tory Cuts on Swansea Policing

Geraint Davies MP brought up the impact of proposed £125million cuts on police budgets across Wales & England on crime levels in the Commons:

10 Jun 2010 : Column 481
Geraint Davies (Swansea West) (Lab/Co-op): In Swansea, where I am meeting the chief of police tomorrow, there is growing concern about the relationship between increased job cuts and crime, and between education cuts drug abuse. Given the plans to cut the police grant by £125 million, when will the Leader of the House find time to debate those issues, especially given that the previous Government reduced crime by a third, whereas the former Conservative Government doubled it?

Geraint Davies has now met with Police Chief Superintendent Mark Mathias to discuss the impact on front line policing.

Under the previous Labour Government the number of police officers and Police Community Support Officers  rose by 30,000 (15,000 police & 15,000 PCSOs) reducing crime by a third.

Cuts will reduce the number of police & PCSOs and lead to a centralisation of management towards Cardiff and Bridgend.

Said Geraint Davies MP “Greater police & PCSO numbers means more police presence on the street and now equipped with Blackberries less need to return to the station. This has improved public confidence and reduced local crime.

“Budget cuts will lead to decisions over police priorities shifting towards Cardiff and less officers on the beat. Local priorities in Swansea include anti-social behaviour, visibility and drugs whilst important work is done on child protection and drugs. We want to keep it local andf not find priorities like car crime- which is not such an issue in Swansea climbing up the priorities because they are set outside.

In Swansea Neath Port Talbot the Chief of Police earns £72,000 yet many local government officers in Swansea Council with less responsibility earn more.

“We’ve lost 10 of 600 officers for Swansea Neath Port Talbot to Cardiff and we don’t want to lose any more.

The problem of electing Police Commanders is that local police chiefs was discussed:

“We already listen to elected representatives like MPs, AMs and councillors who are elected and in touch with thousands of people. If instead the Commander is elected by a small electorate she or he may reduce his consultation with elected representatives and have their agenda narrowed to particular issues by being hi-jacked by particular groups.

“In New York the Mayor cut 7000 social workers to recruit 7000 police officers to increase visibility and tackle crime whilst reducing the focus on its causes. In Swansea the issues of child protection and investment in education are important when considering crime and drug abuse levels in the future.”

Said Geraint Davies MP “We discussed other issues like the use of retired officers at 50 supporting youth activities to reduce youth offending.

“We touched upon the new problems for rape victims from the Liberal Democrats & Tories giving rape defendents anonymity whilst reducing evidence opportunities from DNA and CCTV and police resources.

“We’ll be meeting again in July to continue working on these important issues.