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January 2008
On Wednesday 12th December Sir Paul Beresford, MP for Mole Valley, attended a briefing to update Surrey Members of Parliament on the various issues affecting Surrey Police and the initial and long-term measures being considered by the Force and Police Authority to address them. There was particular concern over the threat to the county due to a real term cut in the Government police funding.
We are lucky to live in a county which boasts a Police Force that is regarded as one of the best in England; Surrey was graded the joint top-performing county in England and Wales in the recent Police Performance Assessment Framework and the staff provide local people with an excellent level of service. However, this service is placing considerable pressure on staff and furthermore the force is finding itself spiralling into an increasing financial deficit. Financial constraints will undoubtedly put pressure on the police to change and reorganise in order to make savings, despite the proven effectiveness of their current procedures.
Surrey Police are funded like any other rural force, despite the increasing threat of criminals travelling from neighbouring urban areas such as London. Crimes committed by non-Surrey residents have risen sharply in the last two years, from 36% to 47% with a significant percentage of murders, robberies and burglaries in Surrey attributed to non-Surrey, frequently London, criminals. Sadly, the funding formula for Surrey Police takes no account of this and the fact that the Surrey polices some of the busiest roads in the country, namely the M25, M3 and A3, whilst also helping to ensure the safety and security of Heathrow and Gatwick airports. With mounting debts and a growing need to tackle high volumes of serious crime and Counter-Terrorism, the force is worried that the situation may become unmanageable in the years to come unless prompt action is taken. Surrey Police are already finding it difficult to meet even their statutory duties because of the low, disproportionate funding they currently receive.
Despite extensive lobbying, this Government is refusing to improve Surrey Police’s funding and therefore a funding gap of £5.3m over the next three years is forecast. In real terms, Surrey Police receives an effectively decreasing central Government grant due to a simplistic funding formula which penalises their success in keeping crime levels down. Unfortunately the burden falls upon the council tax payers to help fund our police service, with Surrey residents contributing double the national average, 47%. This is despite Surrey making the largest contribution to the Exchequer in the south east region - £5.5 billion in 2005/6!
The Government’s chronic under-funding of Surrey Police is clearly unacceptable and Surrey MPs will put pressure on the appropriate Ministers to reverse this situation. Paul Beresford and other Surrey MPs also back the necessity for our Police Force to make cost savings. Additionally Paul Beresford welcomes the determination of the Surrey Force to tackle the rising threat from serious criminals including those from outside the County. This new move will mean Surrey “ticks less Government target boxes” but will hit those heavier crimes that are, in his belief, more serious and damaging to our safety.
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