Paul Rowen's Campaign against police cuts
Added 22/08/2006Crime Wave Follows Labour's Police Cuts
Rochdale MP Paul Rowen is calling for a stop any further cuts in Police numbers, after shocking new crime figures for Greater Manchester showed that the area is paying the price for Labour's Police cuts.
Crime has risen by 6.4% in Greater Manchester after the Government's funding cuts to Greater Manchester Police led to a decrease of 216 Police officers.
There were a staggering 20,678 more victims of crime in Greater Manchester in the 12 months to July than in the previous twelve months. This includes an increase in victims of violent crime of over 5,000 - an astonishing 16.3% increase. Robberies were up by 13.9% (1)
Paul Rowen MP said:
"The Labour government has cut funding to our Police force, leading to fewer officers. Now we have a huge rise in crime in Greater Manchester. I am in no doubt that these two are linked. We are now suffering the effects of Labour's cuts."
"The Chief constable has said that he needs a minimum of 8,000 police officers to make progress in the fight against crime. The latest cuts have left our Police force with only 7,908, and the number is falling." (2)
"It is absolutely vital that we reverse Labour's plans for further cuts next year."
1) The latest crime statistics for Greater Manchester can be viewed at:
http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/Stats-July06.htm
2) Figures for Greater Manchester police numbers can be viewed at: