Responding to news that the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner has appointed a deputy commissioner to help him do his job, Portsmouth Labour has said priority must be given to tackling crime in our city’s communities and giving the police the resources they need.
Michael Lane, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Hampshire, has announced today that Flick Drummond who served as a Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South for two years, will be his first ever deputy commissioner.
At a time when crime is increasing in the city, Portsmouth Labour is calling on the PCC to prioritise working with the city’s communities to finally bring down crime.
George Fielding, Central Southsea community campaigner, said:
“Whilst I wish Ms Drummond well in her new role, there’s a lot for her and her boss to do and we’ll be following their actions closely.
The Tories record on policing and crime is one of failure.
We see that failure here in Portsmouth with week after week a local business being broken into, damage done to our high street shops and bars in Southsea and our community’s confidence knocked.
These crimes affecting livelihoods and our local economy, and so many others that our communities care about, must now be prioritised”.
Stephen Morgan, Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, added:
“Under the Tories police officers have fallen to their lowest level in 30 years whilst the police have also recorded the highest crime rises in a decade. This simply cannot go on.
I want the police to have the resources they need to tackle the growing challenges they face in our great city. We need more resources for bobbies on the beat to help them do the job they do day in, day out, to keep our communities safe.
Central government must provide real-term protection for the police in our area. That’s what Portsmouth people deserve and this must be the priority for the Police and Crime Commissioner and his new deputy”.
Photo of Stephen Morgan MP with George Fielding outside Central Police Station, Portsmouth.
