The Portsmouth South MP has written to Michael Lane asking that he immediately allocate ‘rainy day’ office reserves to the frontline.
MP for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, has asked Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Michael Lane, to release emergency funds – set aside for his own office – to help tackle crime in Portsmouth. The call follows a meeting organised by Mr Morgan with the Minister for Policing and small business representatives from Portsmouth last week.
It is understood the PCC has held back over £400,000 as part of his budget as a ‘rainy day fund’ for his office costs and back-room staff.
In particular, small businesses in Portsmouth have suffered from a significant rise in crime, with one owner calculating the area has seen 230 break-ins in the last year. At the same time, the ability of local officers to inhibit this spike has been seriously impeded by swinging Government cuts to frontline policing.
Hampshire Constabulary recently announced that 160 jobs are to be axed as part of the latest round of cuts to the force. In recent years, 1000 police officers have been lost across Hampshire.
In his letter to the PCC, Mr Morgan said, ‘I understand you have set aside £440,000 in reserves for rainy days…well, it’s raining in Portsmouth.’
The city MP added, ‘I urge you to make this money available, not for office expenditure, but for investment in frontline policing in Portsmouth…I have every confidence this is how small businesses, and the people of Portsmouth, would like to see this money spent.’
This latest action from the Portsmouth South MP comes after he brought six local businesses up to Parliament, alongside the Deputy Chief Constable and serving officer and Hampshire Police Federation Chair, John Apter, to meet with Nick Hurd MP and demand further action on rising crime.
Stephen Morgan MP, said:
‘Policing in our city has been cut to the bone. Police officers, and the businesses and communities they work so hard to protect are suffering. Yet, Hampshire’s PCC is sitting on ‘rainy day’ funds for his office costs and back-room staff.
Mr Lane needs to know that it’s not just raining in Portsmouth, it’s pouring. The water is rising and risks washing some of our small businesses away on his watch.
Keeping our communities safe is the first duty of all of us in public life. The people of this great city want, need, and deserve action on this issue of public safety.
I hope that the PCC would agree, and will accept my invitation of working together, giving Portsmouth the money it needs and help get more police officers back on our streets.’
