Police chiefs meet Government minister in call for fair funding deal

Barry Coppinger and Iain Spittal called the meeting with Policing Minister Brandon Lewis at Westminster to ensure a fair deal for taxpayers in Cleveland when decisions are made to allocate money to police forces across the country.

The briefing to the Minister highlighted the plight of the local area, including the vast and significant industrial landscape, mixed with the levels of need, deprivation and vulnerability across communities.

Both Mr Coppinger and Mr Spittal welcome the police funding formula proposals, but stress that importance should be placed on sufficient weighting for forces representing areas most in need of support and vulnerable to harm.

It is thought that if funding is given to areas based on the number of people living in them, then Cleveland will be disadvantaged. Although Cleveland Police covers a small geographic area, the issues and policing needs are similar to larger metropolitan police forces and police leaders in Cleveland feel the investment should reflect this.

Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger said: “We have a huge industrial network that requires specialist policing, and people living in communities where deprivation impacts on their lives. Cleveland is an area to be proud of, but we shouldn’t shy away from giving an honest and open account of what life is like for many people – and how funding for policing should reflect the social needs of our residents.”

Chief Constable Iain Spittal said: “Our vision is to create safer and stronger communities, but we can only do this with the right resources to tackle crime.”