West Berkshire Liberal Democrats call for return to 'proper community policing'

WEST Berkshire Liberal Democrats have called for a return to "proper community policing" and accused Conservatives of breaking a recruitment pledge.

Liberal Democrat spokesman for Newbury Lee Dllon said the Conservative Government is failing to deliver the promised 600 more police officers for the Thames Valley.

He said analysis of Home Office statistics showed that Thames Valley’s officer numbers actually fell by 29 in the last year.

But Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matthew Barber accused him of being "unhelpful and misleading" by picking "arbitrary dates to compare numbers".

Mr Dillon said a total of 229 extra officers have been recruited by Thames Valley Police under the Government’s campaign that started in September 2019.

Thames Valley Police has so far recruited just eight more officers per month under the scheme, he said – and, to meet the Conservatives' own target of 609 by March 2023, that rate would have to increase to 25 per month over the next 15 months.

Mr Dillon added: "People in West Berkshire are being let down and taken for granted by this Conservative Government.

"With so many local crimes going unsolved, we desperately need more police on our streets and in our communities".

He went on: "Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and known personally to local people.

"The Conservatives’ pledge to boost police officer numbers looks set to become yet another of their broken promises.

"They are letting down victims of crime and our communities right across our area."

PCC Barber hit back by insisting he was "wholeheartedly committed to delivering the increase in police officers across Thames Valley".

Mr Barber said: "Although there are challenges in delivering such a large increase in a relatively short time, this is a welcome challenge and Thames Valley is on target to meet, if not exceed the Home Office expectations.

"It is unhelpful and misleading to pick arbitrary dates to compare numbers, as with any organisation the size of Thames Valley we see people leave or retire all the time.

"At the end of last year we saw more people than expected retiring, partly due to those who had delayed their retirement plans because of Covid-19".

He added: "By the end of the financial year the numbers for the force are set to be at 4,615, an increase of 365 on the baseline set by the Home Office at the start of the recruitment campaign.

"Thames Valley Police has opened up new entry routes to ensure that we deliver the numbers for our residents and I am lobbying the Government to provide greater flexibility.

"My budget proposals for the coming years also include plans to recruit additional officers, over and above those funded by central government.

"At the same time as delivering these increases, the police have been working hard to ensure they tackle crime in all of our communities.

"Serious violence is down, along with personal robbery and burglary.

"Putting more police officers on the streets is a welcome challenge and it is a task both the chief constable and I are committed to not just complete, but exceed."