Rural policing fears (From Tivyside Advertiser)

Rural policing fears

2:06pm Wednesday 14th November 2007

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Plaid Cymru Ceredigion's Cllr Penri James this week warned that frontline police officers in Ceredigion could be under threat if the Labour Westminster Government presses ahead with plans to scrap the Rural Policing Fund. The Tirymynach County Councillor's warning came following after a meeting of Dyfed Powys Police Authority Community Consultative Forum held last night (Tuesday) in Aberaeron.

Speaking following the meeting, Plaid Cymru's Cllr Penri James said: "Providing an adequate police presence in rural communities such as Ceredigion is naturally more expensive and since 2000 Westminster has been providing rural police forces with additional funding through a rural policing fund. However, the Labour Westminster Government has recently been consulting on scrapping these grants which would inevitably lead to rural police forces having to cut back on frontline police officers in order to continue operating within a lower budget.

"I have myself witnessed the success of Neighbourhood Policing Teams in Ceredigion and I do not want to see them withdrawn because of budgetary pressure. They perform a vital service in dealing with anti social behaviour and reducing the fear of crime - they are very much the public face of policing.

"During the meeting in Aberaeron we were informed that the new formula for funding will be based on social information not now collected in Wales. Welsh police force funding will be based on historical information where Dyfed Powys police will lose out, North Wales police will lose out and Wales as a whole will lose out. This is clearly not acceptable.

"These funding cuts for many of our police forces in Wales come only a few months after they were forced to foot the bill for the Labour Westminster Government's abandoned plans to merge Wales's four police forces. Only by devolving the responsibility for policing in Wales to the Assembly can we ensure that our police forces aren't disadvantaged in this way".

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