I was delighted last week to hear the news that Dorset Police have already recruited 39 new Police Officers to help keep our County safe. This takes the number of Officers recruited under Boris Johnson's Government to six thousand, well ahead of the initial deadline of March 2021. Getting more police onto our streets is one of the people’s priorities – and even in the face of unprecedented challenges, this People’s Government is continuing to deliver on our promise to keep the British people safe.
This new level of recruitment is all possible due to the Conservative Government, led by Boris Johnson, pledging to recruit twenty-thousand new Police Officers across the UK by March 2023. On top of this, I'm proud that our Conservative Government have boosted police funding by £1.1 billion this year, ensuring our officers have everything need to keep Dorset safe. This is the biggest funding increase for the police in a decade, and includes £150 million to fight organised crime and online child abuse, £39 million to tackle serious violence including county lines drug dealing, and £90 million for counter-terrorism policing.
All of this has helped towards cutting crime by 9 per cent over the last year, delivering on our promise to the British people to keep them safe. Between March 2019 and March 2020 – before the coronavirus period – crime levels fell by 9 per cent. This includes a significant 12 per cent fall in theft, and a 13 per cent fall in criminal damage.
I look forward to bringing you more good news of the Conservatives delivering for you in Bournemouth West.
