Press Release Search

Search for press releases

Three Year Cash Boost For Policing

6 December 2007

£10 billion per year will be going into policing for the fight against crime by 2010/11, the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, said today.

The Home Secretary has announced the police funding settlement for the three years from 2008/09, to give police authorities the certainty on which to plan for the future.

Police forces across England and Wales are to benefit from an increase in Government funding of 2.9% in 2008/09 with a total revenue grant of £9,227m. The general grant funding base level will be set at 2.5% for the next three years so that each police authority in England and Wales is guaranteed an increase of at least this level in each year.  Funding for neighbourhood policing will increase by an average of 2.7% each year.

This settlement demonstrates the Government’s commitment to preventing and tackling crime, and driving stronger partnerships to make our communities safer. 

The funding will be backed by a programme of reform to streamline processes and further improve working practices to increase the productivity and accountability of the police.

A key part of the National Community Safety Plan, published today, is cutting red tape and giving more flexibility to police and their local crime fighting partners. Police and local partners will together prioritise their work to concentrate resources on the issues that matter most to local communities.

The Government will also introduce, from 2008/09 onwards, the new Assessments of Policing and Community Safety framework which will monitor and asses the crime reduction and community safety work of the police and their partners. 

The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, said:

“Historically high numbers of police, supported by 16,000 Police Community Support Officers, are delivering real changes on the ground, fighting crime and making communities feel safer. The roll-out of neighbourhood policing by next April will embed those improvements across the country, with every area covered.

“This settlement will give the police the flexibility to make the best possible use of resources to maintain the historically high number of police officers and will enable the police to plan for the future, improve productivity and modernise their workforce.

“This settlement will deliver for the public safer and more confident communities, an effective neighbourhood policing team in every area, sustained action on antisocial behaviour and reductions in serious violence and alcohol and drug misuse.”

 

Notes to Editors

1. The full funding settlements for all 43 police forces in England and Wales and the National Community Safety Plan are attached and can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk.   
2. The Home Office will publish a Green Paper on policing in spring 2008 to consult on wider proposals for change.  The Green Paper will strengthen the framework that enables and supports the police service and its partners to deliver effectively for the public.
3. The National Community Safety Plan was first published in November 2005, to cover the period 2006-2009.  An update to the plan was published in November 2006. It describes a shared endeavour to deliver safer communities, recognising that community safety cannot be successfully delivered by the police on their own but must involve broadly based partnerships at both local and national level.
4. This year the National Community Safety Plan has been refreshed to reflect this new vision and objectives set out in the Crime Strategy published in July. Covering the period 2008-11, the strategy emphasised how overall reductions in red tape and targets would give more flexibility to local practitioners. Simplified targets were set out in new Public Service Agreements published in October.
5. The Department for Communities and Local Government today published the local government finance settlement for the next three years.

back to top