Mark Isherwood
Shadow Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister Mark Isherwood AM has commended police forces in Wales for meeting the one simple target set by the UK Government – to cut crime.
Speaking in this afternoon’s Assembly debate on the Police Settlement 2014-15, Mr Isherwood said under Labour police were bogged down with paperwork, but by cutting red tape the UK Government has enabled police to get on with their jobs and consequently forces throughout Wales have seen a reduction in crime levels.
Mr Isherwood said:
“Police budgets are a three-way process, with contributions from the Home Office, the Welsh Government and Police Precepts paid by Council Tax payers. It is understood that Home Office and Welsh Government Grants have been reduced by 4.76% or £3.8 million – and I therefore commend the generally positive way in which Wales’ Police and Crime Commissioners and Panels have determined their 2014/15 Police precept.
“This will deliver increases in the amount Council Tax payers pay towards police services of 2% in North Wales, 2.1% in Dyfed Powys, 2.66% in Gwent and 5% in South Wales – equating in South Wales, with the biggest percentage, to a 75p monthly increase for a Band D Household.”
He added:
“Labour and Plaid Cymru have said that UK Police Reforms and Budget Reductions would mean higher crime, but Police recorded crime fell by 5% in Wales in the year to last September, with North Wales recording the biggest fall anywhere in England and Wales, at 12%, followed by Dyfed Powys on 10% and South Wales on 2%. Gwent’s figures were static.
“Because of concern about the accuracy of these figures, the UK Statistics Authority removed the National Statistics designation – or “gold standard” – from all crime data recorded by the police.
“However, the Crime Survey of England and Wales, which measures crime by asking people whether they have experienced any crime in the last year, found that overall crime fell by 10% in England and Wales in the year to September 2013 – the lowest crime level since the survey began in 1981.
“The innovation being delivered by our Police Forces is encouraging, with for example, Gwent fully opening or extending the opening hours of a number of Police Stations which had previously been closed to the public or had limited opening hours, Dyfed Powys planning 30 new Police Officer posts and North Wales co-locating Flint’s Policing teams into a further Flintshire Connects at the Council Offices in Flint whilst retaining existing front counter services at Mold and Deeside Police Stations.
“The UK Government is also encouraging innovative Policing, with a £20 million fund. Every force in England and Wales has successfully bid for a share of this.”
Mr Isherwood stressed that Labour’s March 2010 UK budget had included police funding reductions of £545 million by 2014, but Labour has also supported savings proposed by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Police Arbitration Tribunal, which essentially match the UK Government’s own plans to make savings from police budgets over this parliament.
