Police and Crime

Elections for Police and Crime Commissioners

The following email was received 22 October 2012 - you will see that David Bowles has asked for this to be circulated to the general community:

"TO ALL CLERKS TO PARISH AND TOWN COUNCILS

I would be grateful if you would forward this to all members of the Council.

I have launched a campaign to improve the funding of Lincolnshire police, which is the worst funded in England and so in consequence has fewer officers per head of population than any other part of the country, even though crime is not particularly low.  Although I am an Independent Candidate running under the banner of ‘Campaign to Stop Politicians Running Policing’ for the role of Police Commissioner I am pleased to say that the petition associated with the issue of police funding has the support of both the Conservative and Labour candidates.

In the stockbroker belt (Essex, Kent, Herts, Surrey and Sussex) the crime rate is 6% lower and yet they have 18% more police per head than Lincolnshire.  To add insult to injury the grants they get are so high that their council tax is about 25% lower than ours.  The position for Lincolnshire has deteriorated as in 2011 the government abolished the Police Rural Fund which will cost Lincolnshire £1.8 million per annum, which equates to the loss of another 40 officers.

Other rural areas such as Cumbria, Dorset and North Wales who are similarly affected are joining in the petition.  I do not see this as a party political issue and am encouraged by the cross party support.  Whilst the petition is being signed during street canvassing given the size of Lincolnshire it is also available on line and I would be grateful if you would consider signing it.

I set out below the text of the petition to the Home Secretary and links:
 
Fair Funding for Rural Police Forces
We note the concerns that have been expressed over the past 15 years about the unfairness of the allocation of police funding to rural areas remains unresolved.
We deplore the abolition of the Police Rural Fund in advance of any review of such issues being completed and implemented.
We call upon the Home Secretary with the involvement of representatives of rural police forces, to conduct a full thorough and urgent review of the police funding formula with particular regard to
1 compensating fully rural forces for the unique problems they face in relation to delivering services in sparse areas often with substantial coastlines
2 rebalancing the allocation of funding for deprivation which favours urban areas
3 reviewing the formula with regard to policing roads with less emphasis on motorways and a greater emphasis on rural roads
4 recognising many of the other issues rural forces face and that the results of the review be implemented immediately and in full.

If you wish to know more about the funding of the police and find a link to the petition please go to www.davidbowles.org.uk.  To go straight to the petition please go to http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/39285

I would be extremely grateful if you would circulate this to the general community.

Regards
David Bowles
Candidate for Police Commissioner
Campaign to stop politicians running policing

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Electoral Commission - Elections for Police and Crime Commissioners