Alex Easton (North Down) (Ind) I beg to move, That this House has
considered funding for policing. I wish I could present a more
optimistic picture of police funding across our United Kingdom to
the House. Unfortunately, that is not the case. No discussion on
policing should overlook the contributions of Sir Robert Peel, the
founding father of modern policing. Although we have made
significant progress since the establishment of the Metropolitan
Police Service in...Request free trial
(North Down) (Ind)
I beg to move,
That this House has considered funding for policing.
I wish I could present a more optimistic picture of police
funding across our United Kingdom to the House. Unfortunately,
that is not the case. No discussion on policing should overlook
the contributions of Sir Robert Peel, the founding father of
modern policing. Although we have made significant progress since
the establishment of the Metropolitan Police Service in London in
September 1829, there remain critical challenges that we must
address and I fear that, without adequate funding, we are in
danger of regressing.
The significance of police funding cannot be overstated,
particularly when considering the Peelian principles, which
emphasise the prevention of crime and the maintenance of public
order. The principles remind us that the true measure of policing
effectiveness lies not in the physical presence of police
officers, but in the absence of crime and disorder. Adequate
funding is essential to uphold those ideals and ensure that our
police service can effectively serve and protect their
communities.
Where do we stand? I will begin with an overview of the United
Kingdom, focusing specifically on the Police Service of Northern
Ireland. It is with deep gratitude that I represent North Down in
this House, though it pains me to acknowledge that my
constituency lacks a fully operational, full-time police station
open to the public. Not one member of the public can report a
crime in a police station in my constituency, because they are
not open.
Using Eurostat, we can compare international policing strengths,
with England and Wales ranked 29th, Scotland 23rd and Northern
Ireland 16th. As of 31 March 2024, our police force stands at
170,500 full-time equivalent police officers. While that marks a
10% increase from 2003, when the Home Office first began its
recording of these figures, it still represents a 0.7% decline
from the peak numbers of 2010. In Scotland, there are 16,536
full-time equivalent officers, a figure 2% lower than last year
and 7% lower than the peak numbers recorded in 2013.
As I come to Northern Ireland, I will pause, as we are in the
season of remembrance, and take a moment to honour those across
the UK who have made the ultimate sacrifice in police service for
us all. I pay tribute to the 300 members of the Royal Irish
Constabulary, following on from the Belfast police in 1836, who
lost their lives, and the 312 officers of the Royal Ulster
Constabulary deservedly awarded the George Cross, along with
their 370 gallantry awards and 712 awards for distinguished
service. We remember the 16 members of the Police Service of
Northern Ireland who have been killed in the line of duty.
It is with deep concern that I must place on record that the
Police Service of Northern Ireland has been underfunded since
2010. While the Northern Ireland block grant has increased by
nearly 50% since the 2010-11 financial year, reaching
approximately £14.2 billion for this financial year, the police
budget has unfortunately decreased from £903 million to £892
million. To put that in perspective, funding for health has
increased by 89% in Northern Ireland and funding for justice has
increased by 8%, while policing has faced a 3% cut. Benjamin
Franklin, a founding father of the United States, wisely
noted:
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
In the context of the Police Service of Northern Ireland,
accurate planning reveals that there is a significant need for
funding, with £166 million required for 2025-26, a further £235
million for 2026-27 and a further £307 million for 2027-28.
(Belfast East) (DUP)
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this important
debate and on advancing his argument so expertly. When he
acknowledges the projected pressures that police will face in the
coming years, does he recognise that the Budget made no reference
to the McCloud judgment, to the holiday pay issue, to legacy
liability or to the recent PSNI data breach, which amounts to
£750 million of unfunded pressures that will put even more
difficulty on PSNI, the Ministry of Justice and the Northern
Ireland Office?
I totally agree with the right hon. Member: what we have does not
even touch the amount of funding that the PSNI needs to find, and
he raises the most valuable points.
These figures underscore the urgent requirement to address the
ongoing issue of structural underfunding. I acknowledge the £37
million in additional security funding allocated from the Budget,
as well as the investment in the Paramilitary Crime Taskforce.
While those measures are welcome, let me be unequivocal: they do
not adequately address the underlying pressures facing our police
service in Northern Ireland.
Don Quixote reminds us that the truth of the pudding is in the
eating, so let me now present to the House the stark truth of
policing in Northern Ireland. Neighbourhood policing is
diminishing; response times for non-emergency calls are
excessively prolonged; the capacity to investigate crimes has
been reduced; inquiry offices are closing and the ability of the
police to support partner organisations is compromised.
However, I am supported by listening to policing colleagues on
the frontline, committed to proposing solutions alongside
dialogue on those challenges. A comprehensive approach to address
those issues includes supporting the business case for maximising
the Police College's potential over the next three years, aiming
for 7,000 police officers and 2,572 staff by 2028. It is
important to note that those figures remain significantly below
the Patten commission's recommendation of 7,500 police officers.
The funding required for the initiative is £8 million in year
one, £25 million in year two and £47 million in year three.
To put it bluntly, any viable solution must be threefold. First,
the monitoring round must address the £37 million funding gap.
Secondly, there must be an increase in the budget baseline to
establish sustainable funding. Finally, we need approval of the
business case to enable police headcounts to recover to previous
levels. It is entirely appropriate for the chief constable of the
police service to accurately highlight the current position, and
he has my unwavering support, along with that of many others.
There is no doubt that the Justice Minister faces a crucial set
of questions regarding the adequacy of the current budget
allocation in the light of recent crime rates and increased
public safety concerns. First, how can the budget be considered
sufficient when community safety, recruitment and
training—essential components for maintaining public trust and
safety—are insufficiently prioritised? The current funding
allocation leaves much to be desired, and as a result the PSNI's
ability to effectively serve the community is hindered.
Furthermore, the limited resources allocated for community safety
directly impact the PSNI's ability to perform its duties, which
raises the urgent need for accountability.
An explanation is required as to why public safety is not being
treated as a top priority, especially when the current funding
does not reflect that crucial need. Sadly, it appears that the
voices of the public, of the police unions, of community leaders
and of political parties, all calling for adequate resources, are
not being heard sufficiently by either the Ministry of Justice or
the Minister. I challenge the Government to be open to a
comprehensive review of policing budgets. That is essential to
ensure the PSNI's mandate, but I must be honest and place on
record that they have fallen short in that regard.
It is unsustainable to have approximately only 4,500 deployed
officers in Northern Ireland. The reality we face is that the
PSNI loses around 40 officers each month due to retirements and
departures, while the number of graduate officers fails to keep
pace with that attrition.
Mr (East Londonderry)
(DUP)
I congratulate the hon. Member on securing this debate. Does he
agree that we had the perfect example of insufficient numbers
earlier in the year, when the Chief Constable had to apply to
Police Scotland to try to get personnel from Scotland to Northern
Ireland, because there was a risk of a massive increase in
violence and he had insufficient offers to deal with it?
The hon. Member is right: recruitment levels have got so bad that
we have had to go to Scotland to get extra police to make up the
shortfall in emergency situations, which is not acceptable.
Northern Ireland is projected to have fewer than 6,000 officers
by 2025, underscoring the need for urgent action. Although I
strongly welcome initiatives such as “Right Care, Right Person”,
which addresses the current mental health crisis in partnership
with health and social care colleagues, we must acknowledge that
PSNI officers are often the first and last resort for many
individuals in crisis.
Let us consider the broader context of national security.
According to “No place to hide: serious and organised crime
strategy 2023 to 2028”, the cost of organised crime is estimated
at £47 billion. In Northern Ireland, where approximately one
third of organised crime groups have links to paramilitary
organisations, that is particularly concerning. It is alarming to
note that 30% of the PSNI's investigative organised crime unit is
dedicated to tackling those paramilitary gangs. Furthermore, the
impact of paramilitarism is widely felt, with 40% of adults and
45% of our young people in Northern Ireland affected by its
presence.
In conclusion, adequately resourcing our police across the United
Kingdom is essential for maintaining effective law and order,
ensuring appropriate enforcement of the law, safeguarding
community safety and supporting the overall functions of the
justice system. We ask our officers to perform a challenging
task, often running towards danger while others move away. They
deserve a fair allocation of resources that enhances their
ability to serve and protect the United Kingdom effectively. That
need is particularly pronounced in Northern Ireland, where the
challenges are unique and significant. Together we can work
towards ensuring a robust and effective police service, where our
police officers are aware of the respect they are rightly held
in, not least through the provision of financial resources to
match the immense challenges that they face.
Sir (in the Chair)
Will those Members wishing to speak please stand up? I want to
see who they are. Right—I am going to put a time limit of six
minutes on each speech. There are four who certainly want to get
in and we need to hit the winding-up speeches at about 5.5
pm.
4.43pm
(Middlesbrough South and East
Cleveland) (Lab)
I congratulate the hon. Member for North Down () on securing this debate.
Although his focus is of course on the PSNI, the general issues
he raised concerning policing are echoed across the United
Kingdom. I hope to raise some of those issues that are affecting
my constituents.
Last week in my constituency a fire was started in Marton, shop
fronts smashed in Guisborough, a pharmacy broken into and its
contents burglarised and staff assaulted. Police officers
responded and arrests were made, but those are not individual,
isolated incidents—that is a pattern and picture of crime across
the country. It is a picture of criminals who feel emboldened and
residents who feel unsafe. I am grateful to the Policing Minister
for taking the time to meet me to discuss police funding in
Cleveland, the area I represent.
I am grateful for the opportunity to raise these issues here as
well, because this is what people are dealing with every day.
People feel afraid to leave the house; they do not feel safe in
their communities, They do not feel confident that when they call
the police, the police will come, or that crimes will be
investigated when they report them. They do not feel confident
that the courts will see justice done, and certainly not timely
justice. That is why we need a change.
In my part of the world, we have seen major cuts to our police
force. We have lost more than 200 officers net since 2010—a 12%
reduction in full-time equivalent officers—and all the while
demand has gone up. Our officers work incredibly hard under
extraordinary pressure, and although they make arrests, the
broader criminal justice system is creaking at the seams.
Prosecution rates have fallen over the past decade, victims wait
months and even years for cases to come to trial and judges have
been advised to delay sentencing because of the lack of prison
capacity. The system is in crisis and it has been allowed to get
to this point after years of systematic underfunding and a lack
of support. That is why investment in our criminal justice system
is crucial.
Investment has to come at all four stages of the system. It has
to come into our prison estate, and I welcome the £2.3 billion
investment announced in the Budget last week to expand our prison
capacity and ensure that we have the necessary prison places.
Investment needs to go into bringing down the court backlog so
that cases are heard in a timely fashion and victims feel that
justice will be served.
We need investment in visible community policing again. Residents
desperately want a named officer for every community, who
understands their village or town, knows the families and the
history, and can tackle issues before they escalate. That was the
cornerstone of the consent-based model of British policing for
decades, and it has been eroded in recent years; it must be
restored.
We also need investment in prevention. The previous Labour
Government were famously tough on crime and tough on the causes
of crime. They provided funding for Sure Start and targeted
schemes such as the safer school partnerships and the family
intervention projects. That is what the new Labour Government
need to do.
When I was in local government, we invested heavily in setting up
a specialist team to tackle the exploitation of vulnerable
children and young people by organised criminal gangs. It was
about getting upstream of the process and making sure that
vulnerable children were diverted. That saved the state money in
the long term and ensured that those young people had
opportunities. This Government need that kind of ambition, and I
believe they will have it. We need that investment; we need to
make sure that our police have the resources they need to do
their jobs; and we need to take back our streets and make them
safe again.
4.47pm
(Upper Bann) (DUP)
I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate, and I commend
the hon. Member for North Down () for securing his first
Westminster Hall debate and for his efforts. I agree with much of
what he said. Members will forgive me for continuing to champion
the needs of Northern Ireland and highlighting the uplift
needed.
The House is well aware that Northern Ireland is running a
deficit of an estimated £37 million. The numbers are well below
what is safe for policing, and crime is on the increase. It would
be remiss of me, as a female MP from Northern Ireland, not to
raise the increased attacks on females in Northern Ireland: 42
have been killed in the last eight years, making Northern Ireland
the most lethal place in Europe for women.
Drugs, criminality, terrorism and changing crime
patterns—especially the rise of cyber-crime—place additional
demands on police resources. The recent PSNI-led investigation
into Alexander McCartney's online crimes, which tragically
involved hundreds of victims globally, illustrates the massive
resources that complex cyber cases require. Traditional crimes
are no longer a measure.
Years of tight budgets have left officers facing even greater
workloads, but pay has effectively fallen by 25% over the past
decade. Low pay and increasing job pressure are driving officers
to leave soon after completing training—a costly waste of
resources. We have the highest number of officers leaving after
their two-year probation. Retention is a major concern in
Northern Ireland, but the exodus is not all about money; officers
feel demoralised by slow, punitive disciplinary systems and worry
about being targeted unfairly. The situation is driving up
sickness rates and early retirements due to mental health issues,
further straining resources. The PSNI is now grappling with
record levels of sick leave and rising medical retirements, with
nearly 800 officers off sick on a given day.
There is also the issue of mission creep. As other public
services have faced cuts, the police are increasingly called on
to fill the gaps, especially with mental health and social care.
Officers in Northern Ireland, and across the UK, spend a
significant portion of their time in A&E, and the demand from
children's homes is high with calls about children who miss
curfew—a task that stretches resources and takes time away from
core duties.
What am I getting at? Policing budgets must reflect the wide
array of duties that are now attached to policing in Northern
Ireland. While there are those in this place—although they are
not present today—whose party bemoans the Chief Constable's ask
of the Prime Minister for urgent moneys, I want to say that my
hon. Friends and I support him 100%. He does so knowing the
crisis point we are at, and because he presides over the crisis.
Therefore, I support his asks and trust that the Minister is
advocating for such with the Treasury.
There are specific challenges that the Police Service of Northern
Ireland faces that differ from those in England and Wales. Unlike
police forces in other parts of the UK, the PSNI does not receive
funding through a local precept, although we acknowledge that it
gets a top-up to help address terrorism threats. Also, unlike its
counterparts in England, the PSNI lacks easy access to mutual
support from neighbouring forces. When English forces need extra
help, they can call on neighbouring teams, which is a very
cost-effective and efficient solution. For the PSNI, mutual aid
requires extensive planning, which limits flexibility in
emergencies, so headcount must reflect that.
Another urgent issue for the PSNI is the compensation bill
related to the recent data breach and fines from the Information
Commissioner's Office, which again will deeply impact already
stretched budgets. It was bitterly disappointing, but not
surprising, that policing in Northern Ireland did not feature in
last week's Budget. UK policing—we accept that this is right
across the UK—faces a funding shortfall so deep that it is not
just about money and funding now; it is about a thoughtful,
strategic funding package. We need to rethink how to resource the
police so that they can meet the needs, retain their officers and
focus on core responsibilities.
4.53pm
(North Antrim) (TUV)
There is no doubt that policing is in pretty dire straits in
Northern Ireland, but it would be a mistake simply to say that it
is all the fault of Westminster. Policing has been devolved in
Northern Ireland since 2010, and comparing the policing situation
today with 2010, it is woefully below the level it was then, in
terms of police on the beat and the provision of basic services.
We lament the lack of funding, but we must face the fact that the
Northern Ireland Executive have not prioritised police funding.
As we have heard, when policing was devolved, the budget was £903
million. However, 12 years later it was £892 million—a massive
real-terms reduction. That is because the priorities of the
Northern Ireland Executive were not issues of policing but other
things.
I think it is fair and important to recognise that the failings
are not all on this side of the United Kingdom. Yes, there is a
deficiency in funding. Yes, it is appalling that in the recent
Budget allocation, there was nothing of the £142 million required
for the data breach that the PSNI now has to face, and nothing
for other special needs in that regard. But we need to keep the
perspective right. There is a responsibility on the Northern
Ireland Executive to put their priorities in order, and policing
should be a priority.
I have a large, essentially rural constituency. In the towns of
Ballymoney and Ballycastle and all the villages around it, on any
given night we are lucky if there is one patrol car. We are lucky
if, on any given day, there are two or perhaps three community
officers, covering a vast area. There is a huge deficiency and
need in that regard. Let me say this to the Government. They
found for the Northern Ireland Office extra money that
essentially—in large measure—will be going to the Finucane
inquiry. Once again, we are going to pour tens of millions of
pounds into an insatiable inquiry for a family which has never
been capable of being satisfied and which previously rejected the
very inquiry that it is now getting. It would be a far more
prudent and appropriate use of funding to put the money where it
is needed—and where it is needed is in the coffers of the
PSNI.
When we had the Patten report way back in 1999, there was great
hype, and hope and expectation that policing was going to be
wonderfully transformed. I think most people in Northern Ireland
today would gladly go back to the real, effective policing of the
RUC, rather than having the depleted policing of the PSNI. We
were promised a 7,500 complement of police officers; we are 1,200
and more below that today. Patten has not been a success. It has
not been delivered as promised, and policing in Northern Ireland
has effectively gone from bad to worse. We now have a situation
in which a hapless Chief Constable has to, almost cap in hand,
come to the Prime Minister and say, “Can you help us?” For that,
of course, he is criticised by the local Minister who has failed
the police in getting the funding that is needed—namely, the
Justice Minister.
I am anxious to promote in this House the genuine needs of
policing within the context of recognising that there also has to
be responsibility with the Northern Ireland Executive. Perhaps
the priorities of the Northern Ireland Executive are not
uninfluenced by the fact that we have the bizarre situation in
which the PSNI is accountable to a Northern Ireland Policing
Board upon which sits a convicted terrorist from an organisation
that murdered and butchered policemen for years. That convicted
terrorist of course is , who came to this city and
bombed the Old Bailey. He sits in lordship and control over the
PSNI. That is not a healthy situation, and it is not a healthy
control situation in terms of the PSNI, so when Patten and
Westminster produced that, they did not do policing any
favours.
It is important, now, to get adequate funding into policing and
to ensure, if and when adequate funding is supplied, that the
Stormont Executive spend it. We have had so many occasions when,
under the Barnett consequentials, money has been given, for
example for childcare and other things, and spent on something
else. There needs to be the proper spend of the money for the
purposes for which it is given.
4.59pm
(South Antrim) (UUP)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I
congratulate my colleague the hon. Member for North Down () on bringing forward this
debate. It is interesting to note that its title on the Order
Paper is “Funding for policing”. It is disappointing, I am sure,
for the sponsor to see the lack of Members from Government,
official Opposition or other parties who have come to Westminster
Hall today to debate the funding of policing across the United
Kingdom. This was not going to be a debate that focused solely on
the PSNI, although that is where it has gone because of the
Northern Ireland influence here. That is testament to Northern
Ireland's MPs, in regard to how we value the service and the
dedication of our police service across the United Kingdom. In
the interests of this debate—I note that it is the
Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the hon. Member
for Putney (), who will respond on the
funding for policing—I, like others, will focus my contributions
on the PSNI.
As other speakers have pointed out, the 6,300 officers that we
currently have represent an unsustainable level. As the hon. and
learned Member for North Antrim () said, in Patten that was envisioned to be 7,500,
and our current Chief Constable has said that he would expect to
have a force of 8,500 to do the job that he wants to do, given
the size of our population and the level of need in Northern
Ireland. We are currently asking our police service and our Chief
Constable to do more with less; when it comes to the security and
reassurance of the people of Northern Ireland, that is a recipe
for disaster.
The hon. Member for Upper Bann () has indicated that
position, with women on our local media this morning saying that
they now feel unsafe walking the streets of Northern Ireland. In
this day and age in any part of this United Kingdom, it is a
shame and a disgrace that we are now in a situation where women
feel unsafe walking the streets. This should be a first-world
country, with a first-world police service looking after the
people, who deserve and expect that. By the end of this year, it
is expected that our police numbers will have fallen to 6,000 in
Northern Ireland—as the hon. Member for North Down has indicated,
that leaves about 4,500 who will actually be deployed—and the
purpose of this debate is to look at what more can be done to
address the further challenges that our Chief Constable and the
Northern Ireland Policing Board face in delivering their
service.
As has been referenced here—although I do not think this is
widely understood—policing in Northern Ireland got to the
critical point at which our Chief Constable took it upon himself
to write to the Prime Minister to seek direct intervention, over
the heads of the Justice Minister, the Policing Board and the
Northern Ireland Assembly. Such was the situation he felt so
desperate about—protecting not just the backs of his own
officers, but the people of Northern Ireland—that he felt that
that was the direction he needed to take. How was he rewarded?
With a letter of chastisement from the permanent secretary of the
Department of Justice in Northern Ireland; our Chief Constable
was so dedicated to service and delivery, but he received that
level of put-down—and it was not corrected or even challenged by
the Justice Minister, who should have stepped in to support the
Chief Constable, the police and the Policing Board.
The challenges of the PSNI have been mentioned. Certain parts
have not been perfect, including the data breach compensation
claim and the additional pressures from the holiday pay claim,
but it is concerning that yesterday in the Northern Ireland
Assembly—on the back of the Budget announced in this place—the
Finance Minister said that His Majesty's Treasury is insisting
that those payments come out of the Stormont budget.
It has been said that we have a challenged and declining policing
budget while health funding has increased by 60% to 80% over the
last 13 years. That is an unfair comparison. Any financial expert
from the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council will say that health
needs 6% year on year simply to stand still; I think that is a
recognised statistic, so it is not fair to compare what health
has received with what policing has not. As the hon. Member for
North Down indicated, justice has received additional moneys,
and—given the way that the structures in Northern Ireland work—it
should be up to the Justice Minister how that works out.
I pay tribute to our police personnel in Northern Ireland for the
continued work they do in challenging situations, day after day,
night after night, and in the face of a lot of criticism. I
recognise the comments from the hon. Member for Middlesbrough
South and East Cleveland () about going back to having a
named, constituency, locally-recognised police officer. The
majority of police officers want to be in that situation and we
need to think about how we can support them in doing so. I also
pay tribute to the Police Federation for Northern
Ireland—particularly Liam Kelly—and how it has represented its
officers and fought for them at every opportunity; I hope that
the rest of this House does likewise.
Sir (in the Chair)
Order. Mr Shannon, I appreciate that you have been detained
elsewhere with other business in the House but we are playing
“beat the clock”, so I will not be able to call you. Ordinarily,
because you arrived so late, I would not be able to allow you to
intervene, but under these circumstances, if you choose to
intervene on one of the Front-Bench spokesmen, I will allow you
to do so.
5.05pm
(Wokingham) (LD)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I
congratulate the hon. Member for North Down () on securing this debate.
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home, walking down
their own streets, on public transport and in their town centres,
but for far too many people in the UK today, that is simply not
reality.
The previous Conservative Government failed to keep our community
safe from crime; their unnecessary cuts left our police forces
overstretched, under-resourced and unable to focus on the crimes
that affect our communities the most. Every day, 6,000 cases are
closed by the police across England and Wales without a suspect
ever having been identified. Meanwhile, just 6% of crimes
reported to the police result in a suspect being charged, and
three in four burglaries and car thefts go unsolved. From 2015,
the Conservative Government slashed the number of police
community support officers by more than 4,500.
My constituency of Wokingham is served by Thames Valley police
force—the largest non-Metropolitan force in England and
Wales—which does incredible work and is led selflessly by
officers and civilian staff.
(Strangford) (DUP)
Thank you, Sir Roger, for giving me the chance to intervene; I
appreciate it very much. I wanted to come along and support my
friend, the hon. Member for North Down (), because the same police
force, chief superintendents, constables, sergeants and police
cars that service his area also service mine. The clear issues
for us are antisocial behaviour, under-age drug use, vandalism,
petty crime and paramilitaries. Does the hon. Member for
Wokingham () agree that community officers'
knowledge of their local areas is so important in order to ensure
that the communities can gather behind them and that forces can
thereby address local crime?
I absolutely agree that local police officers and PCSOs are
invaluable. If they have a connection with the local community,
they do a very good job.
Thames Valley police protect 2.5 million people and cover 196
miles of motorway, and I am proud of the manner in which they
serve our community. It is, however, a disgrace that their hard
work is severely let down by the previous Government's reckless
mismanagement of police forces. In the Thames Valley, we have
only 198 police officers per 100,000 people. That is below the
national average of 245. Only 88.1% of police officers in our
area are in frontline roles, which is below the national average
of 90.3%, and we only have seven special constables per 100,000
people, which is also below the national average of 10 per
100,000; that is a complete failure. Thames Valley police force
needs more resources.
The Conservative party's dereliction of duty is evident in the
consequences of the previous Government's under-investment.
Between October 2021 and September 2024, retail crime surged by
35.4%, from 10,306 cases to a massive 18,208 cases. Robberies
have also surged, with a shocking 143% increase in robbery from
businesses. In fact, within the Bracknell and Wokingham area,
robbery from business property has risen by the higher figure of
147.4%. Whether at the national level or the local level, our
communities have been failed.
I recognise that the Government have inherited a mess, but they
must urgently restore the proper community policing that people
deserve. We must get more police officers out on to the street,
and that should be funded by scrapping the wasteful, expensive
police and crime commissioner experiment, and investing the
savings in frontline policing instead. We also need to address
the dramatic cut in the number of PCSOs, and free up existing
officers' time so they can focus on local policing. That is why
the Liberal Democrats are calling for a new national online crime
agency to take over the policing of crimes like online fraud and
abuse, leaving local forces more time to tackle burglaries and
other neighbourhood crimes.
For years, the previous Conservative Government failed to keep
our communities safe from crime, but the new Government have said
that they will act, so I ask the Minister how and when the new
Government will deliver their manifesto promise of recruiting
more neighbourhood officers. The details should be brought
forward urgently.
5.12pm
(Hamble Valley) (Con)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger.
I congratulate the hon. Member for North Down () on securing this debate. I
believe it is his first Westminster Hall debate—I hope the first
of many. I know that policing in Northern Ireland is a matter on
which he has long campaigned hard and I enjoyed hearing the
historical facts in his opening speech. I am also grateful to
other hon. Members for their contributions this afternoon;
several were similar, but they were all passionate.
Clearly, it is for the operationally independent Police Service
of Northern Ireland to make decisions about day-to-day policing
in Northern Ireland, and it is for the Northern Ireland
Executive—who I am proud the Conservative Government helped to
restore earlier this year—to decide how to allocate resources.
Their being independent of this place, however, does not mean
that we cannot harbour or express views about processes or
individual decisions, or recognise the challenges of policing in
Northern Ireland.
We note the commitment in the Budget last week of £8 million for
the Executive's programme on paramilitarism and organised crime,
which builds on the funding put in place by the Conservative
Government to tackle that issue and strengthen community
resilience in Northern Ireland. The Conservative Government also
made additional contributions to the PSNI through additional
security funding, including £31.2 million for the financial year
2023-24.
The new Government had an explicit commitment in their manifesto
to help improve public services in Northern Ireland. However, I
am worried by the comments from Jon Boutcher, Chief Constable of
the PSNI, who has said that the programme for government does not
reflect the pressures that the PSNI is under, with policing
numbers at an all-time low and further resources needed. I would
be grateful to the Minister if she would confirm to the House
what further discussions she intends to have over the coming
weeks and months with her counterparts in Northern Ireland about
policing needs. What steps will the Government take to support
the Executive and PSNI to increase police numbers to the level
envisaged in the New Decade, New Approach agreement, and to hit
key milestones on the way there, as this seems to be a common
theme in speeches in this House?
According to the PSNI, all policing districts experienced a lower
level of crime in the past 12 months. There were also fewer
shootings, bombings and paramilitary-style attacks during the
same period. However, just one of those appalling incidents is
too many, and I also join the hon. Member for North Down in
paying tribute to the work of PSNI and all staff and police
officers in Northern Ireland, and our security services, for the
daily job they do.
It is important that the new Government act in a way that
supports the Northern Ireland Executive and law enforcement to
help lock in a positive trajectory and address areas where
progress is more challenging. There can be no return to the
violence of the past and, as I say, I commend the invaluable work
of the PSNI, which faces security threats every day and does an
amazing job.
Northern Ireland has a tremendous peace dividend of its own with
the progress that has come off the back of the Belfast/Good
Friday agreement. With confusing messaging and short-term
measures, this issue is not off to a great start for the
Government. Whether it is the city deals that were paused and
started again through a U-turn or the police funding levels, the
Government must work with the Executive on an equal footing. I
fear, judging by the announcements since this Government have
taken over, that the Executive and Ministers within that
Executive are not having solid and constructive messaging from
this Government, with U-turns and various policies changed at the
last minute. I hope the Minister will reassure the House that in
future there will be a much more constructive relationship with
the Executive when it comes to the direct funding of various
Northern Ireland matters and governance.
As I said, the manner in which the Government have handled issues
in relation to Northern Ireland so far has been rather abrupt.
That needs to change, and it must become more stable and
consultative. We all want to see a safer, more prosperous
Northern Ireland, with community cohesion moving only in the
right direction and young people looking to a better
future—everybody in this House absolutely wants that to happen;
but we must see commitments made at the last general election
delivered for the people of Northern Ireland, and see policing
put at the forefront. That is not just by the UK Government but,
as the hon. Gentleman and other hon. Members have said, a
stronger approach taken by the Executive itself. That time has
come, and it is time that the drawbacks and funding issues that
have been outlined are sorted out, so that we can increase police
numbers, ensure that crime continues to come down and ensure that
policing is at the heart of all communities, as the hon. Member
for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland () said. He cleverly outlined
policing issues in his constituency, which he is absolutely right
to do in this one United Kingdom. The issues in his constituency
are the same as the issues we heard in constituencies in Northern
Ireland, and I pay tribute to him for turning up to this debate.
Like him, I thought that it was a debate on policing throughout
the United Kingdom. It should have been, but it is just that
today we are addressing predominantly Northern Ireland issues
with PSNI.
The Conservative party will always back Northern Ireland—it has
an integral place in our Union—and the aspirations and hopes of
its people. I know the Minister shares that commitment, and I
look forward to hearing her answer some of the questions by hon.
Members from all around the Chamber, particularly when it comes
to funding for PSNI going forward, so that it can make the
decisions it knows it needs to make to ensure that policy is at
the forefront of domestic politics in Northern Ireland and crime
continues to come down.5.18pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
()
It is a great pleasure to respond to this debate and serve under
your chairship, Sir Roger. I congratulate the hon. Member for
North Down () on securing this Westminster
Hall debate—hopefully the first of many—on such an important and
timely topic. I welcome comments made by my hon. Friend the
Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (), the hon. and learned Member
for North Antrim (), the shadow Minister the hon. Member for Hamble
Valley (), and the hon. Members for
Upper Bann (), for South Antrim () and for Wokingham ().
It is important to be talking about safety—safety on our streets
and in our homes, workplaces and schools. Wherever we are,
everyone deserves to feel safe, and that is vital. Equality of
safety goes alongside all the other equalities that we want to
see. This Government are supporting frontline policing levels
across the country, putting us on track to start to deliver on
the pledge to boost visible neighbourhood policing. It is a key
mission of this Labour Government to take back our streets and
have safer streets. That is also a key mission in the Northern
Ireland Executive's draft programme for government, and we can
agree on that whatever party we represent.
I pay tribute to the brave men and women who serve in the PSNI
and work tirelessly to keep the people of Northern Ireland safe.
The commitment and bravery of the PSNI is shown every day;
however, two examples vividly demonstrate its commitment and
dedication. The terrible attack on Detective Chief Inspector John
Caldwell last year reminded us that there is still a small
minority in Northern Ireland who wish to cause harm to those who
serve. More recently, officers sustained serious injuries while
ensuring the safety of others during the violent disorder this
summer.
In early August, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and
I met with PSNI and Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service
members in Belfast during that week of protest to offer our
thanks in person. We heard many stories of bravery. The Prime
Minister also met injured PSNI officers. It was clear to us all
that the response of PSNI to the disorder was a testament to
their dedication and ability to deliver safety and security in
Northern Ireland. We owe all those who serve in the PSNI our
gratitude. The Government will continue to work alongside the
Northern Ireland Executive to support the PSNI. In response to
the shadow Minister's question, we will continue to have
conversations with the Chief Constable and other members of the
PSNI as a matter of course.
In recognition of the unique security situation in Northern
Ireland, the UK Government make additional contributions to the
PSNI through additional security funding, as has been mentioned.
As we announced in the spending review last week, we have
increased that funding for the PSNI for the financial year
2025-26. It will be provided with £37.8 million in additional
security funding. It was previously provided with £32 million a
year, and that amount had been in place since 2015-16. The
increased funding that this Government have provided will give
the PSNI the resources it needs to tackle the threat posed by
Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Northern Ireland and allow
it to continue to keep people safe.
The Government recognise the difficult financial position that
the PSNI faces. However, policing is largely a devolved matter in
Northern Ireland, and the PSNI's main budget is allocated by the
Northern Ireland Department of Justice.
The hon. Member for North Down () and I had a particularly
difficult time about a year and a half ago. There were special
circumstances—paramilitaries were feuding—so funding for our area
had to be above and beyond. The police service was able to give
officers more overtime, but it was only able to do so because it
had the resources. Without the extra resources and extra money
that was provided due to the special circumstances, the police
would be unable to police.
The need for more funding is understood, which is why I was glad
that more money was delivered to Northern Ireland in last week's
Budget. It was good news for Northern Ireland. The Budget
delivered a record £18.2 billion for the Northern Ireland
Executive for 2025-26—the largest settlement in real terms in the
history of devolution. That includes a £1.5 billion top-up
through Barnett consequentials for 2025-26: £1.2 billion for
day-to-day spending and £270 million for capital investment. What
will be done with that money? It is for the Executive to set a
budget for all Northern Ireland Departments and for the
Department of Justice to allocate funding to the PSNI. How that
funding is used is an operational matter for the PSNI and the
Chief Constable.
The PSNI estate—police stations—was raised by the hon. Member for
North Down. The allocation of that money and questions of whether
police stations are open or not are entirely operational matters
for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern
Ireland Policing Board.
Paramilitarism has been mentioned. The effort to tackle
paramilitarism is led by the Northern Ireland Executive's
“Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime”
programme, which was established after the “Fresh Start”
agreement. The programme is working to tackle the presence of
paramilitaries through evidence-based early interventions,
targeted law enforcement measures and initiatives that provide
direct support to help build safer communities who are resilient
to paramilitarism. The UK Government provide 50% of the
funding—£8 million a year—for the cross-Executive programme for
tackling paramilitary activity and organised crime. As was
announced in the spending review, that has been secured through
to March 2026.
One strand of this work is the Paramilitary Crime Task Force, the
PCTF, which is a multi-agency taskforce including officers from
the PSNI, the National Crime Agency and His Majesty's Revenue and
Customs. Over the period from April 2023 to March 2024, the PCTF
made 107 disruptions and 83 arrests, charged and reported 115
people and conducted 175 searches. The PCTF seized drugs with a
street value of more than £1.3 million and illicit tobacco with a
street value of more than £2.8 million, along with 41 firearms
and weapons, of which eight were explosive devices.
The Executive programme for tackling paramilitary activity and
organised crime has provided PSNI with £5.6 million in 2023-24,
and the same for 2024-25. PSNI police numbers have been raised
several times—rightly so. A well-staffed and resourced PSNI is
vital to the success and stability of Northern Ireland. I am
aware that the PSNI restarted recruitment earlier this year, and
that the Chief Constable has been speaking to the Department of
Justice to discuss funding to allow that to continue. Recruitment
and retention are absolutely vital to delivering effective
policing. Policing in Northern Ireland, apart from national
security, is a devolved matter, and police numbers are a matter
for the Department of Justice and the Chief Constable. As of 1
October 2024, PSNI has 6,303 full-time officers. I am aware that
the Chief Constable aims to lift officer numbers to 7,000 within
three years. That will be challenging, but I understand that he
is speaking to the Department of Justice about it and we will
continue to support him.
The hon. Member for North Down will be aware of the Executive's
draft programme for government, which was published in September.
I note the programme's recognition that PSNI officer numbers are
low, and welcome the Executive's commitment to grow police
officer numbers to 7,500 in line with New Decade, New Approach.
As I have said, last week's Budget delivered the largest
settlement in real terms in the history of devolution, including
that £1.5 billion top-up through the Barnett consequentials. The
money is not ringfenced, and the Northern Ireland Department of
Finance will work with Executive Departments to allocate it based
on budget pressures.
I welcome the fact that the data breach was raised by the right
hon. Member for Belfast East (). In response to the August
2023 PSNI data breach, the PSNI worked closely with the
Department of Justice in Northern Ireland to fully understand the
cost implications of its response to the very serious incident.
The UK Government granted an initial, non-repayable reserve claim
of £15 million after the data breach. That was communicated to
the Department of Finance and intended to assist in addressing
the challenges to the PSNI budget caused by the data breach. In
February 2024, however, the Department of Finance confirmed that
the funding was not required and PSNI costs could be absorbed
within the NI budget. No additional funding was required from the
UK Government, but we continue to work together in ways like that
to ensure that policing can continue.
Would the Minister accept that that was in relation to the likely
fine from the Information Commissioner's Office? The fine was
greatly reduced, but there is no cover or resource allocation for
the level of compensation that will be due to the thousands of
officers that were involved. That figure is at £240 million.
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising that ongoing issue,
but I will need to conclude now. I agree with the hon. Member for
Upper Bann () that ending violence
against women and girls must be a priority in policing.
Altogether, it has been demonstrated that the positive steps
Northern Ireland has taken to become a more peaceful and
prosperous place are ongoing, and reflect the commitment of
communities from across Northern Ireland to build a safer place
to live and work. The work of the PSNI, alongside other security
partners, is a crucial component in the delivery of a safer
Northern Ireland. I am delighted that the Government have been
able to increase the additional security funding provided to PSNI
to allow it to continue to do that.
5.29pm
I want to thank all hon. Members, including the shadow Minister
and the Minister, for being very supportive today and outlining
the different issues across the country where there is a lack of
policing. I hope that the Members from Northern Ireland have
highlighted the serious issues we have. We are more than 1,000
police officers down, and the number of officers is not growing.
This debate will hopefully put pressure on the Northern Ireland
Executive, the Department of Justice and the Minister of Justice
to come up trumps and deliver more policing for our overstretched
PSNI, which we love and support. They deserve this recognition of
our strength behind them.
Question put and agreed to.
Resolved,
That this House has considered funding for policing.
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