Calls for better police funding for Cambridgeshire as people face ‘community safety postcode lottery’

Calls have been made for Cambridgeshire to get better funding for its police force, as the area receives some of the lowest support in the country.

Cllr Alex Bulat (Labour) said there was a “postcode lottery when it comes to community safety” and said the area needed its “fair share” of new neighbourhood police officers.

Councillors at Cambridgeshire County Council unanimously agreed at a council meeting this week to back a motion put forward by Cllr Bulat calling for a fairer funding deal for the area.

Cllr Bulat said everyone wants to feel safe where they live.

She said a Cambridgeshire quality of life survey found that 85% of people said they did feel safe.

Cllr Bulat said: “This is good, but is it good enough? We have to ask why those residents report feeling unsafe do so, do they feel unsafe in their homes, is there something that can be done to improve their local street that would make them feel a little bit safer, or is it about how their town and village feels like especially at night or when on their own.”

Cllr Bulat said when she first moved to the UK as a teenager she felt safer than she did previously.

However, she said when visiting other areas she noticed how some places were not as safe as others.

She said: “It seems to be that there is a bit of a postcode lottery when it comes to community safety and some areas desperately need more investment to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.”

Cllr Bulat said Cambridgeshire had the fourth lowest funded police force in the country.

She proposed the county council’s chief executive, Stephen Moir, should write to the Home Secretary to ask for the county to have its “fair share” of new neighbourhood police officers and called on the MPs in Cambridgeshire to lobby for a fairer funding deal for the area.

Cllr Bulat also raised the issue that domestic abuse and sexual violence “continue to be widespread problems”.

She called on the council to do its bit letting people know what help and support is available in Cambridgeshire for victims of domestic abuse.

A slight amendment to the motion was proposed by Cllr Steve Count (Conservative) who suggested that the new neighbourhood police officers being asked for should be “fully funded by the central policing core grant”.

Cllr Bulat said she was happy to accept this amendment to help the motion get cross-party support.

Cllr Count said everyone in Cambridgeshire “deserves access to a reasonably funded and good police force”.

He said the low level of funding for the police force in Cambridgeshire alongside the area’s growing population created a “risk of not being able to cope”.

Cllr Anna Bradnam (Liberal Democrat) said the county had seen a “massive increase in population” and said this had “sadly” likely led to a “greater population who do criminal activity”.

She said the area needed “appropriate and proportionate support” for the police force.

Cllr Philippa Slatter (Liberal Democrat) said it was clear all the councillors wanted people in Cambridgeshire to get “served by a properly resourced police