Tony Lloyd says “policing is stretched beyond capacity to deliver”

Tony Lloyd MP

Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd told the House of Commons that policing is ‘stretched beyond any capacity to deliver’ during question time on Monday (3 July).

Addressing Home Office Minister, Nick Hurd, he said: “In Greater Manchester, following the bomb, the whole of the police services have been working twelve-hour days where there is no capacity for them to draw people in for overtime."

Mr Lloyd asked: “Does the Ministry not now understand that the policing is now stretched beyond any capacity to deliver?

"Police numbers need to be looked at afresh after the terrorist incidents over the summer, a Home Office minister has told the Commons."

The Home Office Minister responded: “We are extremely sensitive to that point. We are very aware that the pressure put on the police as a result of recent terrible events, has required a surge of police effort and fantastic collaboration between forces.

“Now we have to sit down rationally with police and crime commissioners and police chiefs to really understand and test assertions about pressure on these forces to make sure that they’ve got the resources they need.”

The topic of police was returned to during topical questions later on with Halifax MP, Holly Lynch saying West Yorkshire Police ‘are still reeling from cutbacks dating to 2010 when they lost 20% of their force’.

She requested the budget be looked at to restore the number of police officers on the streets to ‘give them a fighting chance of dealing with demand’.

A number of MPs appeared to agree as the chorus of ‘hear, hear’ could be clearly heard in the Commons.

Responding, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “Let me take the opportunity to clarify once more the situation with police funding. From 2010 to 2015, there were indeed cuts but what was so remarkable is the good work of local policing and the good work of local communities meant that crime came down by a third." 

Ms Lynch could be seen shaking her head as the Home Secretary concluded: “Since 2015 to 202, we will continue to protect police money to ensure that crime continues to come down and that policing and communities continue to get support.”