North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has called on Police & Crime Commissioners to prioritise funding for frontline policing as they allocate money from their budgets.
Justin raised the matter as part of an appearance on ITV West Country's Politics Debate during a discussion potential policing mergers in Devon & Cornwall.
Whilst the Government has rightly protected overall police spending in real terms (an increase of £900 million by 2019/20), police officers are facing more challenges than ever before, particularly around safeguarding issues and the increase in cyber crime.
Police & Crime Commissioners across the country allocate funding to Chief Constables and Justin is calling for them to prioritise frontline policing rather than back office costs.
This a matter that Justin has also raised directly with Wiltshire Police and the area's Police & Crime Commissioner as part of his regular meetings with both, in which he raises the concerns of fellow local residents.
You can watch the full episode, which also covered Brexit, housing and the environment, via http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2017-09-07/the-west-country-debate-show-why-theres-more-to-politics-than-brexit/
