CHAIR ASKS
ES: Whilst I recognise the financial challenges facing the Government and, indeed, the country more widely, I am clear that one-year funding settlements make it difficult to plan strategically for the future. PCCs want to see multi-year funding settlements as the certainty this would bring would allow us and our forces to plan ahead, for instance on the make- up of the workforce and where best to invest funds to deliver the best possible police service for the public. Having a sound funding base would also enable PCCs and forces to engage with local strategic partners to maximise joint working to best effect. A core part of PCCs’ work is the commissioning of services to support victims. We are pleased to have been told to expect multi-year funding from the Ministry of Justice in future which will be a great help in procuring the right services for those who need them.
saw last summer how officers in my area were confronted with violence on the streets of Southport having, hours earlier, encountered the distressing and violent scenes that saw the murders of Elsie, Alice, and Bebe, along with the terrible injuries inflicted on eight other young girls and their teachers in that dance class.
“PCCs want to see multi-year funding settlements as the certainty this would bring would allow us and our forces to plan ahead.”
TL: Do you think police officers are fairly rewarded for the dangerous, difficult and demanding job they do? ES: Police officer pay is a hugely important issue given the difficult and sometimes dangerous work of many of our officers. As the PCC for Merseyside, I
Police and Crime Commissioners understand how important it is that police officers feel fairly rewarded for their work, particularly given their inability to take industrial action. In recent years Chiefs and PCCs have succeeded in securing better awards than previously, but the difficulty we face is reconciling a desire to reward police officers with the demands of affordability. Everyone knows the strain that public finances are under. Making the case for a pay award for police officers that is both fair and affordable isn’t an easy balance to achieve. I will continue to work with the Police Federation and the NPCC in putting forward as strong a case as possible for fair pay for police officers.
TL: What would be your three asks of the Government to help support policing? ES: We need to stabilise the underlying finances for all forces so that they can focus on fighting crime and protecting the public, so a key ask would be for an increase in core grant funding from the Government. Inflation has had a significant impact on budgets, something that should be addressed centrally rather than by adding to the financial burden of Council Tax payers. Forces need to know they have funds to invest in modernising their approach to crime investigation as crime types evolve, and a properly skilled workforce equipped with the right technology. PCCs are elected by the public to act on their behalf in ensuring their priorities are front and centre of their local force’s approach to crime and policing, but we are also the conduit through which to deliver locally on the Government’s national strategic objectives. We are uniquely plugged in to our local communities as well as to Government and other national policing bodies. These relationships can garner feedback on public sentiment and drive strategic change at a local level, and many of the key planks of our work – prevention,
21 | POLICE | APRIL | 2025
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