Investment in policing ‘part of the solution’ says PFCC Essex following Government spring budget statement

Following the Spring budget statement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday, Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “The Spring Statement makes the economic challenge for our country clear, but investment in policing is part of the solution.

“There is good academic evidence that getting crime down boosts economic growth: getting crime down to historic lows could add as much as 1% to annual GDP.

“We have made clear to government the scale of investment needed to do that, and to fulfil the Government’s Safer Streets missions of boosting neighbourhood policing, halving violence against women & girls and reducing knife crime as part of that.

“Since 2016 we have built Essex Police into the biggest and strongest it has ever been.

“This has yielded brilliant results, with more police visible in our Essex communities, ASB incidents now reduced by more than 70 per cent since 2016 with homicide and burglary halved.”

“We want to maintain that strength, keep crime and ASB falling, and continue to make our county safe for everyone, but to do that we need Government investment in Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

“Safe, secure communities are the bedrock on which we build economic growth, prosperity and wellbeing for all.”