Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire | WYPCC

PCC Response to the Announcement of 20,000 New Police Officers for England and Wales

26 July 2019

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), said: "I, and I'm sure our communities, welcome this long overdue commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers nationally. However, there are many questions and details still required as to how this is going to be funded and practically delivered locally ensuring that resources are allocated where they are most needed throughout England and Wales.

"For far too long, in my view, the government have not given policing the priority that it should have had since 2010. This announcement is in effect a tacit admittance that the 20,000 officers nationally shouldn't have been cut in the first place which I have been saying and highlighting since I was first elected as West Yorkshire PCC in 2012.

"The government now need to release further details to allow for us to make provisions locally for the uplift and to be clear that these figures don't include the extra recruitment I have already budgeted for this year through the raising of the local police council tax.

"Years of cuts and recruiting so many officers over a short period of time will put a real strain on our training staff and facilities. I will be working very closely with the Chief Constable to seek the answers and details required and to help put appropriate plans in place to mitigate the potential impact as well as ensuring these planned new officers reach our communities with the proper support, training and equipment that will be needed."