Milton Keynes councillors call for more resources for police

The Labour/Liberal Democrat Progressive Alliance on Milton Keynes Council is asking when the police service in Milton Keynes will be sufficiently resourced.

Milton Keynes is the largest town in the eastern region by both size and population, however police stations have been closed to the public or had their operating hours curtailed, and policing numbers have failed to recover from the government’s headcount cuts.

Government figures from September 2020 show 4,415 full-time equivalent police officers in the Thames Valley police force.

Police community support officer (PCSO) numbers have fallen dramatically; there were 283 full-time equivalent PSCOs in the Thames Valley police force in September 2020 compared to 368 in March 2020.

At next week’s Full Council, councillors will be requesting that the council leader and chief executive write to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley to ask when the police service in Milton Keynes will be sufficiently resourced.

Liberal Democrat Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Councillor Paul Trendall, will move the motion.

He said: “We’re not seeing as many police officers in Milton Keynes that a town our size needs. We need answers from the Police and Crime Commissioner as to when our local police service will be sufficiently resourced, and we need reassurance that these levels will not fall.”

Councillor Lauren Townsend, Labour Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member for Public Realm, is seconding the motion. She added: “Unfortunately crime is rising, and so is the fear of crime. Residents deserve to feel safe and supported by their local police force, and that can only happen if the police themselves are supported.”

Ben Everitt MP for Milton Keynes North has praised the police in the town.

He said: “I'm proud of our police. They do a terrific job in really tough circumstances.

"Since I've been elected we've added more police officers to our local force, provided more funding to combat violent crime and given our police more powers to keep us safe.

"The Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill will further back our front line officers, giving them more powers to deal with things like unauthorised traveller encampments.”