Stephen Morgan MP has written to the Home Secretary today on how residents in Portsmouth would continue to receive the same level of service from local police after cuts to local budgets.
The Portsmouth MP criticised the Home Secretary for failing to address the £21.9m real-terms hole in funding in Hampshire Constabulary’s finances, despite recent increases.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth currently has the lowest number of police officers per 100,000 than any other police service in the country, prompting fears as to how the same level of local service and crime prevention can be delivered.
It comes as the Chief Constable recently told the Police and Crime Panel underfunding means responses had to be ‘rationed’, suggesting some services may have to be dropped to meet other priorities.
The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, said,
“Our local police service has for too long faced cuts by successive Tory governments, which has led to a serious impact on police numbers in Portsmouth.
“It is completely unacceptable in a densely populated area like ours to have the lowest number of police officers per 100,000 in the country.
“This is far from the ‘levelling-up’ agenda the government promised, and it is clear from my postbag that cuts are causing consequences in communities across Portsmouth.
“I will continue to pile on the pressure on Government to properly fund policing in Portsmouth and ensure a fairer funding deal for Hampshire Constabulary.”
Mr Morgan has consistently taken action over the consequences of the lack of fair funding for the local police force, voting in favour of a motion in the House of Commons that would have seen an increase in the number of police officers and the restoration of neighbourhood policing teams in Hampshire.
