Press Release: Police Numbers Falling

Liam Byrne, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill today expressed a warning about police cuts as figures show that police numbers are already falling across the region. The latest Police Service Strength survey is out and every force in the West Midlands is down West Mids Region 3.2% Staffs 2.8% Warks 4.9% West Mercia 5.8% (biggest fall in the country) West Midlands 2.4% Liam has campaigned for more police since his election in 2004 and celebrated in 2010 with news that Shard End Police team was to double in size, Washwood Heath Police numbers had doubled from 27 in 2006 – 2007 to 54 in 2010. Crime has fallen year on year. In 2009 it fell by 13% for the second year in a row. Liam said: ‘We know that more police equals less crime, nowhere is this more obvious than in Hodge Hill where the Police have done a tremendous job bringing crime down. I am gravely concerned that in their haste to save money, the Tories are going to reverse that trend bringing misery for local residents. Vernon Coaker MP, Labour’s Shadow Policing Minister, responding to the Police Service Strength statistics released by the Home Office today, said: “These figures highlight what we already knew – that choices being made by this Tory-led Government mean cuts to police numbers across the country. We committed to protect frontline policing in our manifesto but this Conservative-led Government seems to be intent on seeing fewer police officers tackling crime and anti-social behaviour on our streets. Our big worry is that this is only the start of what could become much worse news on police numbers.” “These figures highlight what we already knew – that choices being made by this Tory-led Government mean cuts to police numbers across the country. We committed to protect frontline policing in our manifesto but this Conservative-led Government seems to be intent on seeing fewer police officers tackling crime and anti-social behaviour on our streets. Our big worry is that this is only the start of what could become much worse news on police numbers’