Freedom of information request reveals exactly how many new police officers are on the streets of Milton Keynes

Leading councillors have revealed what they claim is the true number of new police officers working in MK over the past three years.

The Labour and Lib Dem Progressive Alliance says a Freedom of Information request (FOI) by a member of the public has shown the city has gained just 19 extra officers.

And the councillors have accused the Conservatives of "misleading" the public on the numbers.

Earlier this year, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber made a public statement claiming that Milton Keynes had an additional 61 police officers over the past two years, while the local Conservative party have said there were 92.

Meanwhile, last month the Progressive Alliance claimed Thames Valley Police had admitted at a public meeting that only TWO additional officers had been recruited to cover Milton Keynes.

The discrepancies left members of the public puzzled and not knowing which figure to believe.

But now the Progressive Alliance has released details of the FOI, seen by the Citizen. It asks TVP: "Please could you provide any statistics you hold on the number of police officers employed in Milton Keynes LPA (Local Policing Area) for every month since March 2019."

The resulting answer revealed that since March 19 2019 - the date of the last general election - Milton Keynes has gained 19 more officers.

And, say councillors, the number of police officers on the streets of Milton Keynes seems to be falling. The FOI figures show in January 2022 there were actually five fewer officers in Milton Keynes compared with January 2021.

Labour Councillor Lauren Townsend is the Cabinet member responsible for community safety. She said: “The Conservatives aren’t telling us the truth about police numbers in Milton Keynes. They can’t even agree themselves if there are 61 or 92 more officers on our streets. The reality is, they are both misleading the public.”

“We know there are not enough police in Milton Keynes. The 183 additional police officers promised by our local Tory MP Ben Everitt at the last election are actually for the entire Thames Valley, all the while our city is in desperate need of more officers on the streets here in Milton Keynes so that we can tackle knife crime properly.”

Liberal Democrat Councillor Robin Bradburn said: “The Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner has spent months beating around the bush when it comes to police numbers, but the public can see the reality on the ground.”

“There simply aren’t enough officers on our streets and Mr Barber has lost control of knife crime in Milton Keynes. Yet, he chooses to prioritise rural crime and traveller encampments. He obviously favours PR over policing to hide the fact he’s simply not up to the job.”

Meanwhile Thames Valley Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley said in a joint statement earlier this month: ““Over the last two years, there have been 92 new officers and 15 transfers in Milton Keynes, while 46 have left, equalling a net increase of 61 officers.

“Milton Keynes has benefitted, along with the rest of the Thames Valley from the National Police Uplift Programme which presents a fantastic opportunity to increase the number of police officers for all of our communities.

“It will see us recruit at least an additional 598 officers by March 2023 who will significantly enhance our ability to prevent harm, investigate crime, support victims, bring offenders to justice and make our communities safer.

“Thames Valley Police continues to attract a high number of applicants looking to serve their communities as police officers and by the end of this month we will have increased officer numbers by 365, achieving higher levels of diversity than at any previous time; with 14.7% of all new officers in the past 12 months coming from ethnically diverse backgrounds and in the same period 48.8% of our new recruits have been female.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, the recruitment market nationally is buoyant and therefore challenging from a recruiters perspective. We are working hard to attract sufficient recruits to meet our 2021/22 targets and currently have over 1,450 applicants at various stages of the recruitment process. We are committed to delivering an increase in police officers numbers, not just through the national recruitment programme, but through locally funded recruitment that goes even further.

“In addition we will continue to work with local councils and other partners to drive down knife crime but focusing on prevention, investing in CCTV and targeting those most likely to become involved with serious violence.”

The Citizen has contacted MP Ben Everitt for a response. We are awaiting a reply.