Knife crime riddled Milton Keynes gets less community safety police officers than affluent Windsor

Figures from the Police and Crime Commissioner this week reveal that Milton Keynes has one of the lowest levels of funding for community safety in the Thames Valley area.

Despite MK suffering five deaths from stabbings in the past four and a half months, the new intake will mean local police numbers are still below 2010 levels.

Also, the latest allocation is lower than the number of local officers that are due to retire shortly - meaning the new intake will be effectively cancelled out, Labour councillors claim..

At the same time, police are having to deal with increasing levels of violent crime in MK and an increasing network of hardened criminal 'county lines' gangs dealing in drugs, modern slavery, cyber-crime and sexual exploitation, said the council's Cabinet member for community safety, Hannah O'Neill.

Yet MK has lower funding levels than "hugely affluent" areas such as Windsor, West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest.

Cllr O'Neill said: “Our local police are amazing and we are working hard through our community safety partnership, Safer MK, in tackling growing levels of very serious crime and criminal networks, including establishing a knife crime and anti-social behaviour task force.

"However to know we are getting less money than places like Windsor is truly galling and shows what we are up against - total complacency on crime and the causes of crime.”

“After ten years of a Conservative government police numbers have been slashed and even new recruits won’t bring us back to 2010 levels. We have lost so much money for services to tackle the causes of crime.”

Labour councillors have slammed the city's new MP Ben Everitt for promising 183 new police officers for Milton Keynes in his manifesto a few months ago..

"We will get just 36, not even enough to replace the officers that will be retiring in that time.. The Conservative record on keeping our communities safe is appalling" said Cllr O'Neill.

But Mr Everitt insists the 183 figure was for the whole of the Thames Valley force area - and that promise has been fulfilled.

He said: “Conservatives are putting police on MK's streets while Labour are putting moss on the walls."

He is referring to the Labour-led MK Council's plan to spend £75,000 on creating a green bridge, a green 'wonderpass' and moss/lichen walls at the civic offices.