Cuts to policing hurt our communities

Conservative cuts to the Police have not made our communities in Nuneaton and Bedworth safer.

Under the Conservatives, Police numbers have been cut by 21,000 nationally. In Warwickshire alone, the Tories have cut 172 police officers and 59 police community support officers.

Fewer bobbies on the beat means it’s harder to tackle everyday problems like anti-social behaviour and drug related crimes in Nuneaton and Bedworth. Violent crime is on the rise across England and Wales.

Labour has a better plan. We will recruit 10,000 more Police Officers nationally to work on community beats, equivalent to at least one more for every neighbourhood in the country.

Labour is also committed to getting Warwickshire County Council to turn our streetlights back on at night. People across Nuneaton and Bedworth know fully well that local Tory MPs vote through cuts in Parliament and then come back to their constituencies and tell residents they support having more Police on our streets. Only the Conservatives could claim, without any shame, that savage budget cuts don’t have a negative impact on the quality of public services like the police.

Residents who are affected by crime are often shocked by the number of Police Officers we have lost locally thanks to the Conservatives. The Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire needs to start delivering on the promises he made over two years ago, as communities like the ones we have across Nuneaton and Bedworth feel left behind thanks to his Party’s austerity measures. Only Labour is committed to investing in our Police.