With Community Safety being a devolved matter, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has today questioned the First Minister over how he will work with the UK Government to reduce crime and put communities first in Wales.
Speaking in this afternoon’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood emphasised the importance of cross-border partnership working on this agenda and asked Mark Drakeford how he will ensure this takes place.
He said:
“With Community Safety being a devolved matter, The Welsh Conservative Party Manifesto in May stated that we would increase funding for Police Community Support Officers each year, working alongside the UK Government programme to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales by March 2023.
“How do you therefore propose to ensure partnership working between the Welsh and UK Governments on this agenda, where the UK Government target of recruiting 6000 more Police Officers in England and Wales by March 2021 was dramatically exceeded, including 437 extra Officers in Wales and 99 in North Wales, with further increases to follow in the next 2 years, recognising that community safety in North Wales is entirely dependent upon North Wales Police’s established integrated working with their adjacent partner Police Forces in North West England?”
In his response, the First Minister referred to Police budget cuts 10 years ago.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Isherwood added:
“It is regrettable that the First Minister continued to look to the past and the legacy of austerity bequeathed to the incoming UK Government in 2010. Community Safety across Wales requires joined up, multi-agency working across geographical regions and with communities themselves, and the role of our Police Forces is central to this.”