PM GORDON BROWN TAKEN TO TASK FOR POLICE CUTS IN ENGLAND.

PM GORDON BROWN TAKEN TO TASK FOR POLICE CUTS IN ENGLAND.

POLICE NUMBERS AT ALL TIME HIGH IN SCOTLAND

Commenting on Gordon Brown’s interview on TalkSport today where a number of listeners and the presenter took him to task over falling police numbers south of the border Nigel Don – a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee – said it was a timely reminder of how the SNP Government is delivering more police officers to keep Scottish communities safe. Commenting Mr Don said: “These exchanges just show how Labour has failed to deliver on police numbers. In fact reports show how the number of officers south of the border are being cut. For Gordon Brown to attempt to avoid this fact just shows how out of touch Labour is.

“Coming on the day the SNP Government has delivered an all time high number of police officers this is even more embarrassing for Gordon Brown.

“It just highlights how Labour does not have the answers to ensuring we have enough police on our streets. It is also an indication of how things could have been if Labour were still in Government in Scotland.

"Since the SNP came in to Government we have seen a more visible police presence on the streets, deterring crime and reassuring our citizens.”

ENDS

Notes:

1. The report from the Times detailing cuts in police numbers can be read here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5793087.ece

2. Transcript of comments from TalkSport today:

Bernard from York “I’m a Labour supporter and always will be, but one quick point. We’ll be getting our poll tax bills through the post soon, and it’ll be on the bottom of it “due to increased policing”. We need to see more police….don’t fob us off, we really need to see more police. Then I don’t mind paying my poll tax. You know what I mean?

Brown: “Well, I’m going to look at what’s happening in your area. You’re York, are you?”

Bernard: “Cheshire, but I’m driving in York at the moment.”

Brown: “Cheshire. Ok, let me look and let me write to you and let you know what’s happening. If you send a note to Andy [presenter]….I will write to you about the policing services in the area. Because, we have given increased resources for policing over these last few years; we’ve been determined to raise police numbers, we’ve put in community support officers; we’ve gone to neighbourhood policing teams so that you can actually see the police in your own area, and you can get their phone numbers to contact them.”

…

Stuart from greater Manchester: “I’m a serving police officer in Greater Manchester, and on top of that I’m a neighbourhood police officer. When you’ve mentioned that there’s been increase in policing staff, I know that’s an increase in community support officers. Because I see more and more police officers taken off the streets as opposed to on them, working inside the police stations as opposed to being on the streets where ideally everyone wants to see them. Every police constable has their own way they way would police their areas, but I was wondering if you were able to assist with that. We want people on the streets, and are as frustrated as everyone else.”

Andy Townsend [presenter]: “I’m not a statistician fan, I don’t pay an awful lot of attention to these stats, but when I read violent crime is down 40%, police numbers up by more than 14,000 since 1997…I can honestly tell you Prime Minister that we don’t see that. We honestly don’t see numbers on the streets, we don’t see policemen when we need them, we don’t seem to have the confidence in them anymore and I think that’s a great shame.”