The Conservative Government is failing to deliver the promised 1,155 more police officers for Greater Manchester.
Analysis of Home Office statistics by the Liberal Democrats has shown that Greater Manchester’s officer numbers rose by only 295 in the last year.
A total of 561 extra officers have been recruited by Greater Manchester Police under the Government’s campaign that started in September 2019.
Greater Manchester Police has so far recruited just 19 more officers per month under the scheme. To meet the Conservatives’ own target of 1,155 by March 2023, that rate would have to increase to 40 per month over the next 15 months.
Stockport’s Liberal Democrats have slammed the government for failing to keep their promise to communities, adding that there needs to be a return to full and proper community policing.
Responding to the figures, Cllr Lisa Smart, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Hazel Grove, said:
“People in Greater Manchester 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.
“Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and known personally to local people.”
Cllr Tom Morrison, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Cheadle, added:
“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.
“We demand better for our residents.”
The ‘Police officer uplift, quarterly update to December 2021’, published today by the Home Office, is available here.
