Police funding boost has to be sustained, says Fed chair

5 February 2025

Policing must receive sustained and consistent funding if it is to recover from the chronic under-investment that has caused a crisis in the service.

That is the view of Simon Riley, chair of Nottinghamshire Police Federation, who was reacting to Friday’s announcement from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper that December’s provisional £100 million police funding commitment would be doubled.

“This £200 million of funding is very welcome, and much needed,” says Simon, “But we need to see this level of funding continued in the longer-term too. There is no quick fix for policing after years of under-funding that has had a devastating impact on the service we are able to provide and the physical and mental wellbeing of officers who have been put under huge pressure as they have been forced to do more with less.

Nottinghamshire Police Federation chair Simon Riley.

“If the police service is to rebuild so that it can properly meet the demands placed upon it, the Government needs to commit to sustained and consistent funding in the years to come.

“It is said the £200 million includes extra funding to support the costs of pay awards, the increase in the employer National Insurance contributions and funding for officer maintenance so this is good news as I am sure police leaders were concerned about how they were going to meet these costs.

Recruitment and retention

“The Government also says it wants to ensure that extra personnel – presumably police officers and police staff – can be recruited which, again, we welcome. But we also need to ensure that we don’t just recruit more new people. We need to retain the trained and experienced officers and staff we have or we will be fighting a losing battle. More work has to be done to look at the issues that are causing officers to leave and address those.

“I am confident a major factor is police pay. Officers’ wages have fallen in real terms in recent years and there is a very strong feeling now that their pay doesn’t reflect either the dangers or challenges of their role. But officer assaults are also having an impact and the courts do have to make sure that they are imposing tough sentences not just to punish offenders but also to act as a deterrent to others.”

Under the police funding settlement, Nottinghamshire Police will get a funding uplift of 6.1 per cent, while the increase nationwide is 6.6 per cent.

Announcing the £200 million cash injection, Ms Cooper said: “This major investment marks a turning point for policing in this country. By doubling extra neighbourhood funding to £200 million, we are giving forces across the country what they need to put more officers and PCSOs [police community support officers] where they’re needed most – on our streets and in our town centres.

Neighbourhood policing

“Every neighbourhood deserves dedicated officers who know their patch, understand residents’ concerns and can tackle problems before they escalate. This investment, alongside new powers we are bringing into law, will help prevent crime and protect our communities, which is at the heart of our Plan for Change.

“Restoring local policing will not happen overnight, but this funding boost will get more officers into our town centres and rural areas. Forces across England and Wales will be able to boost their local policing teams with this investment, scheduled for [the] next financial year. Each force will set out their plans to Government by early spring, showing how they’ll use their allocation to increase visible patrols.”

The Home Secretary said rebuilding local, visible policing would be supported by the Government’s new Police Standards and Performance Improvement Unit and pledged to continue to help forces to protect officer numbers.

Crime prevention

The Government believes the funding will strengthen local crime prevention and community safety. Under the key aims of its Plan for Change, every neighbourhood will have a named, contactable officer, helping to restore the local knowledge and presence it believes effective neighbourhood policing demands.

In 2009, ahead of the Conservative Government’s austerity measures which slashed police budgets, Nottinghamshire Police had 2,408 police officers and this had fallen to 1,968 in September 2018.

At the end of September 2024, this had increased to 2,401 on the back of the previous government’s three-year Police Uplift Programme which saw 20,000 extra officers recruited in forces across England and Wales in the three years up until the end of March 2023.

But in the six months between March and September 2024, Nottinghamshire’s officer numbers fell by 18.

Increased demands

“We have to act to stop this downward trend,” says Simon, “When you consider that even with 2,401 officers we are still below the numbers we had in 2009, you can see why this is imperative.

“Since 2009, the demands placed on policing have increased beyond belief. As well as dealing with what would be thought of as quite traditional crimes – burglary, theft, assaults – they are also dealing with increased human trafficking, cyber-crime, child sexual exploitation and some incredibly complex investigations.

“They are also picking up the pieces for other services and organisations that were hit by budget cuts, often responding to calls involving people with mental health problems, for example. The police service never says no and, as a result, it often gets pulled in all directions, with officers feeling the pressure that brings.”

Total funding to police forces across the country will be up to £17.5 billion next year, an increase of up to £1.1 bn compared to the 2024 to 2025 police funding settlement. This includes extra funding to support the costs of pay awards, the increase in the employer National Insurance contributions and funding for officer maintenance.

READ MORE: 'Restore police pay or face further retention issues'.