In dealing with the nation’s legacy of debt and the financial irresponsibility of the last decade, I resent the many difficult choices that are having to be made in terms of spending cuts.  However, ultimately not dealing with our deficit would mean becoming more akin to the likes of Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain.

I am pleased that services like the NHS are being protected and indeed increased, but I also know that there are concerns about reductions in the £14 billion annual police budget.

Feeling safe and actually being safe are of course vital for our family homes, neighbourhoods and the wider community.  In spite of savings, the independent body, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), reported last week that overall crime levels have fallen by three percent and in addition the overall level of victim satisfaction among members of the public who have contacted the police increased.

Far from reducing frontline police officer numbers, this Government has increased the proportion of officers working on the frontline from 83 percent to 89 percent. As a result, I am pleased that police forces, such as Sussex Police, have been congratulated for changing the way they organise their forces as they maintain and improve services whilst reducing costs.  

The Government is pledging to make further improvements in police services.  The best forces have twice the visibility and availability of officers than the worst and there are more officers visible and available on Monday mornings than on Friday nights. With around 23,000 police officers still working in backroom functions, the Government believes it can ensure that officer numbers on the frontline can continue to increase.

I am acutely aware of the concerns from local serving police officers and so have remained proactive on the issue.  I have corresponded on behalf of the Sussex Police Federation and local constituents with the Home Office on countless occasions, hosted a productive meeting between the Policing Minister and Police Federation and organised an event at the Hawth Theatre for interested local police officers to raise their concerns directly with me.  In addition, I have directly raised the concerns of local officers with the Policing Minister, Home Secretary and the Prime Minister. 

Under the previous Government, police officers were spending only 14 percent of their time on the frontline.  The rest of the time, officers begrudgingly found themselves stuck behind the desk filling out reams of Whitehall report forms.  This Government’s vision of Great Britain is of stronger, safer communities, built on a shared sense of social responsibility and a restored bond between police and local people. Rather than being cooped up filling in incident reports, officers are being freed up to do their jobs – combating the violent crime and anti-social behaviour that is blighting too many of our local neighbourhoods.