Speaking in today’s Assembly Debate on Wales’ Final Police Settlement for 2018/19, North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood welcomed the £450 million increase in police funding across England and Wales announced by the UK Government, but expressed concern that there could be fewer police officers in Wales in the future because Welsh Government policy is denying Police Forces in Wales access to funding for apprenticeships.
Mr Isherwood stressed that the UK Government’s Police Settlement increases total funding across the police system by up to £450 million in 2018/19- an increase of over £1 billion since 2015-16.
He said:
“The UK Government has protected the Police grant to forces in cash terms - and if locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners raised council precept contributions by up to £1 per month per household, this would have allowed £3 million extra in Gwent, £3.1 million in Dyfed Powys, £4 million in North Wales and 6.7 million in South Wales.
“The Commissioners have announced a 7% precept increase for South Wales, 5% for Dyfed Powys, 4.49% for Gwent – vetoed by their Police and Crime Panel – and 3.58% in North Wales.
“Although North Wales has not increased its precept to the maximum, South Wales is still paying less as it is playing catch up.”
He added: “Total Police Recorded crime across Wales rose by 12% in the year ending September 2016 – 14% in Gwent, 13.7% in North Wales, 13% in Dyfed Powys and 10.9% in South Wales. However, Welsh Police Forces have attributed much of this to changes in recording in 2014, and greater public confidence in recording crime. North Wales Police also emphasised that there is now better understanding - and therefore identification - of Child Sexual Exploitation, sexual violence, cyber crime and serious and organised crime.
“Further, the UK Statistics Authority has stated that the Crime Survey for England and Wales provides a more reliable measure - and this indicates that crime across England and Wales fell by 9% in the 12 months to June 2017, compared with the year before.“
Mr Isherwood went on to express concern over police recruitment, threatened by Welsh Government policy denying Police Forces in Wales access to funding for apprenticeships.
He said:
“Although, the number of police officers in Wales rose by 1% between 2016 and 2017, the four Police and Crime Commissioners and four Chief Constables in Wales have warned that their inability to access the £2 million they pay to the Apprenticeship Levy could result in fewer police officers in the future, and potential recruits choosing to sign up for English forces instead.
“Despite Welsh Government claims to the contrary, the UK Government has fully funded the Welsh Government for this, after covering the amount paid into the levy by Welsh Public Sector employers and the consequential Barnett block reduction.
“Welsh Police Forces need this funding to go to the Police College. They have told me that this is recognised by the Home Office - and they are calling on the Welsh Government to get in the room with the Home Office and sort this out.”
“There are also concerns that the Welsh Government is planning to phase out its £1.98m annual contribution to the All Wales Schools Liaison Core Programme from 2019, as the funding disappears into the new schools curriculum”.
- the danger inherent in calls for Police Devolution is evidenced by proposals to grab power from our 4 locally accountable Police and Crime Commissioners and centralize this in a Commissioner politically accountable to the Welsh Government”.