Plea for new officer plan to be 'properly funded'

A police and crime commissioner has welcomed government plans to increase officer numbers but added a "plea" for it to be "properly funded centrally".

Darryl Preston, who oversees policing in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, was speaking after he released his Police and Crime Plan for 2025 to 2028.

The former superintendent also said he did not think Sir Keir Starmer's promise of a named, contactable police officer for every neighbourhood would work.

Preston said his policing plan would prioritise early intervention, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, supporting victims and witnesses and building trust in the police.

The promise to recruit 13,000 additional neighbourhood police, police community support officers (PCSOs) and special constables was part of Labour's election manifesto.

Preston, who was elected as a Conservative to new four-year term in May, said: "At the moment there's no detailed plan.

"We're told that's a mix of police officers, PCSOs and special constable - my plea is this: it needs to be properly funded centrally."

Police numbers fell following the 2010 election, before rising again after 2019 as the Conservative government pledged to recruit 20,000 new officers.

In August, Preston said the county now has a record number of police officers.

"We want local officers with that local knowledge talking to our community groups, councillors etc, for non-emergency crime related issues [but] the idea of having the personal phone number of your local bobby, I don't think that could work.

"They'll be on leave, they'll be busy - we need proper processes in place."

When asked about the use of illegal e-scooters or cyclists without lights, he said he spotted a recent social media post by officers tackling just that.

He then added: "I know that the chief constable just wouldn't have the resources to deal with it all the time, but I know that's a problem in Cambridge and elsewhere."

Preston pointed out that using e-scooters on public roads was illegal unless they were hired as part of a government-approved scheme, with one such existing in Cambridge.

He said "everyone looks to the police" to crackdown on the use of e-scooters, but added, "you can buy these things from major retailers... if you go and buy one from a shop and ride one round the street, you are actually breaking the law".

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