The government has been urged to prioritise funding for the police and implement the recommendations made in a damning select committee report into the state of UK crime.
Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion, Cllr Nneka Keazor, wrote to Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, after the Home Affairs Select Committee said failing to provide extra funding for the police would have “dire consequences” and that the current police funding model was not fit for purpose.
The Council has been lobbying the government to provide extra money for policing amid concerns there are too few officers in the borough.
In her letter Cllr Keazor sought assurances that policing in Enfield would be raised to manageable levels and that all of the recommendations of the committee reports - which called for investment in the police service across the UK- and a complete overhaul of the funding mechanism, would be implemented.
She said: “I want to personally thank each and every member of police staff who has worked in Enfield for their service to this borough. We know they face an immense challenge every time they put on their uniform and they do a tremendous job keeping us safe.
“They do an incredible job under very difficult circumstances, but there simply aren’t enough officers to go round and crime in our borough is at unacceptable levels. The Home Affairs Select Committee has been very clear that policing urgently needs extra funding or there will be dire consequences.
“We agree and Enfield Council believes it is incumbent on the government to significantly increase investment in the police service so that residents of Enfield and other parts of the country have a police service that is properly resourced, fit for purpose and able to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. This is an issue that affects every part of the country and it needs to be addressed now.
“Consequently we are calling on Sajid Javid to implement the recommendations made by the Home Affairs Select Committee as a matter of urgency so that our concerns and the concerns of our residents can be urgently addressed. Enfield Council does everything it can to support the police and keep its residents safe but we need the government to intervene now to ensure the recent increase in crime both locally and nationally is addressed.”
Enfield Council passed a motion at its Full Council meeting on Wednesday 30 January condemning government cuts to policing, identifying an increase in crime in the borough and calling on the government to increase police numbers in Enfield.