MP fights police cuts plan

Ashfield and Eastwood MP Gloria De Piero has warned that hundreds more local police officers in Nottinghamshire are set to be axed, as Labour launches a campaign to keep bobbies on the beat and protect communities.

Nottinghamshire Police Force lost 307 police officers and 50 Police Community Support Officers (PSCOs) between 2010 and 2015.

Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham forced a Commons vote aimed at halting Government plans to cut Police budgets by up to 25 per cent over the next five years.

Labour argued any cuts in double figures would have damaging consequences for policing and public safety but was defeated on the vote.

New figures show that a cut of 25 per cent, which the Government talked about, could result in a further reduction of 400 officers in Nottinghamshire Police Force – equivalent to almost one in six – and over 20,000 across the country.

Ms De Piero said; “If ministers cut the police on the scale proposed, they will be putting public safety at risk and will go down as the Government that took thousands of bobbies off the beat.”

She is urging constituents to sign a national petition sponsored by the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, crossbench peer Lord John Stevens, to build cross-party and cross-community support for the campaign.

The country’s former most senior police officer calls on ministers to “drop plans for drastic cuts”, “listen to the public and police officers” and also warns of the “end of neighbourhood policing”.

The MP added: “I want as many people as possible in our area to sign this petition to protect the local police force and I’m calling on MPs from all parties to join this campaign too.

“In Nottinghamshire, violent crime has already risen by 25 per cent and the consequences of Tory cuts are already being felt – we cannot afford to lose even more officers.”

Labour’s campaign aims to get 100,000 people on the petition before George Osborne stands up to give his Spending Review later this month.

The petition can be signed here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/111560