Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness has today written to the Prime Minister urging him to put a new police funding formula in place that reverses austerity and hands the force the funding it needs to bring down rising crime levels.

Since 2010 Northumbria Police has seen more than 31% of its budget cut, with the force left with 1000 fewer officers as a result.  

Commissioner McGuinness said she wants the force to be given the resources it needs to put more officers on patrol and in neighbourhoods as part of her commitment to tackle both rising crime rates and the causes of crime.

Commissioner McGuinness said:  “Austerity has hit our communities and it has hit our police force and today I have told the prime minister that enough is enough. My message is clear, we need the funding not just to reverse police cuts but also to allow us to take a bold new  public health approach to tackle the causes of crime, an approach which has been seen to work so successfully elsewhere”

The Commissioner added: “The ball is firmly in the new Prime Minister’s court. He needs to get serious about backing our police.  Residents across the force area have made clear they want to see crime come down. The PM must show he is prepared to stand by them and our police.”