Cuts to Police Officer numbers in this area are due to Theresa May’s actions when she was Home Secretary. Figures show cuts started by the increasing desperate Prime Minister have left only 1,067 Police Officers serving the Thames Valley police area. An area with a population of 2.1 million people. (1)

The Police Federation, which represents Police Officers, is very critical of the Prime Minister because she was the person who has cut 20,000 police officers whilst Home Secretary after 2010 and allowed further cuts since becoming Prime Minister.

According to the Police Federation commenting upon the deployment of soldiers on to English streets.

“Police cuts mean forces cannot handle terror threat without army help.”(2) 

In 2014 the MK Citizen newspaper (14.11.14) highlighted that £45 million pounds of cuts to the Thames Valley Police would see 147 police officer jobs lost up to 2017.

The impact of the cuts across the Thames Valley was more recently highlighted by the  Reading and Berkshire News (11.02.17) (3)

It highlighted that Thames Valley police numbers were falling at the fastest rate in seven years. The number of police officers had fallen by 3.3% between September 2015 and September 2016 to just 1,067.

This is the biggest year on year fall since 2010.

Cllr Hannah O’Neill, Labour’s Parliamentary candidate and MK Council lead on the Safer MK Partnership said, “The cuts to policing numbers in the Thames Valley policing area are 100% down to Teresa May. She must take responsibility for the cuts. She must not be allowed to hide from the impact of her cuts. We need a proper level of policing in Milton Keynes.”      

Cllr O’Neill added, “Theresa May recently told the Police Federation to stop “crying wolf” about the impact of financial cuts. Speaking to the federation’s annual conference, she said more savings would have to be made in the next five years.(4)

Cllr O’Neill concluded, “Theresa May promises more cuts over the next 5 years. With only 1,067 police officers in post now. How on earth are we going to protect the people of Milton Keynes from everyday crime or horrendous terrorist acts?”  

Notes:

(1)  Thames Valley Police is the largest non-metropolitan police force in England and Wales. We police the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, and serve a diverse population of 2.1 million, plus six million visitors who come to Thames Valley each year.

(2)  ww.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/manchester-attack-soldiers-streets-theresa-may-police-cuts-federation-a7755146.

(3)  http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/thames-valley-police-officers-falling-12587120

(4)  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32806520