Conservatives breaking police officer promise for Bath

1 February 2022

The Conservative Government is failing to deliver the promised 456 police officers for Avon and Somerset Police. Analysis of Home Office statistics by the Liberal Democrats has shown that Avon and Somerset’s officer numbers rose by only 126 in the last year.

A total of 254 extra officers have been recruited by Avon and Somerset Police under the Government’s campaign that started in September 2019.

Avon and Somerset Police has so far recruited just 9 more officers per month under the scheme. To meet the Conservatives' own target of 456 by March 2023, that rate would have to increase to 13 per month over the next 15 months.

Bath’s Liberal Democrats have slammed the Government for failing to keep their promise to communities, adding that there needs to be a return to full and proper community policing.

Responding to the figures, Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, said:

“After years of Liberal Democrat campaigning and support from thousands of local residents, Bath will finally have a permanent police presence in our city centre again later this spring. However, all the police stations in the world aren’t worth anything without enough dedicated officers to staff them.

“People in Bath are being let down and taken for granted by this Conservative Government. With so many local crimes going unsolved, we desperately need more police on our streets and in our communities.

“Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and known personally to local people.

“The Conservatives’ pledge to boost police officer numbers looks set to become yet another of their broken promises. They are letting down victims of crime and our communities right across our area.”