Good to hear public backing for police cuts reversal

THE public are backing pay rises for police officers and want Government cash diverted back into public services, a new national newspaper poll has shown.

The results of the Daily Express survey into crime and policing reveal widespread support for a reversal to cuts in police budgets which have seen officer numbers slashed and violent crime increasing.

The vast majority of respondents (81%) agreed that more funding should be given to the police service, while 73% said officers should be paid more.

Steve Kent, Chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation, said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the findings that show public attitudes are changing.

He said: “I’ve always been passionate about officers being paid more. The starting salary is barely more than what it was when I joined South Yorkshire Police 16 years ago. This is unacceptable, especially when the cost of living is so high comparatively.

“Even when officers reached their top pay scale, which may seem a lot to people outside the organisation, the risks that they face, not just in terms of personal safety but constant scrutiny and threat of litigation if people get things wrong, will always for me justify higher wages. It’s also important to note finally that compared to similar economies in the world, our officers are paid lower.”

The survey also revealed the impact of cuts on community policing – 40% of all respondents said they had ‘never’ seen a police officer on patrol on their streets at night.

Nearly 70% told the survey that the police should be prioritising burglary and violent offences over hate crime.

40% said they would be ‘quite likely’ to get involved and help if they saw an officer being assaulted.

The Express said new figures showed that policing levels in England and Wales were at their lowest since 1981, with just 110,000 officers available to tackle terrorism, drug and gang crime and the sharp increase in violent attacks and assaults.

For more survey results visit: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1054028/police-numbers-drop-knife-crime-epidemic-riot-year-1981