Cambridgeshire’s police and crime commissioner Darryl Preston says he will be ‘fighting hard’ for county funding after general election

After a change in government due to the general election, Cambridgeshire’s police and crime commissioner has promised to continue working with politicians.

Darryl Preston has called for more funding to be given to policing across the county, saying that the force is the fourth lowest funded in the country.

Mr Preston was first elected as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough police and crime commissioner in 2021 - but has said that the outgoing government could not help with seeking a fairer funding deal through changes to the Government’s police grant.

Mr Preston said: “Every community deserves a properly funded and well-equipped police force.

“In Cambridgeshire, we’ve made huge strides to adapt and expand our capabilities to improve the way we solve and investigate crime.

“A substantial proportion has come from local taxpayers themselves who have funded improved technology and are helping to sustain and develop the record number of officers who joined the ranks through the Uplift programme.

“Regrettably, there simply would not be enough funding to support the force’s work to keep people safe without a significant precept contribution and this is the case for many forces.”

Mr Preston compared police funding per person to Durham, where it is around £265.17, to Cambridgeshire, where it is £219.94.

He added: “The force does an excellent job with the provision it is afforded but there is no doubt more is needed to bring us in line with our colleagues elsewhere.

“This is why challenging for a fairer funding formula has become a top priority for me as commissioner and why I continue to highlight our plight nationally and with the region’s MPs.”

Mr Preston said he will be “fighting hard” with the new policing minister and home secretary to secure the county a better deal.

He said: “To draw on the State of Policing 2021 report, smaller forces with a low funding base can only do so much with the resources at their disposal.

“Both the chief constable and I are committed to delivering the improvements the public rightly expects of policing, but how far we can go is dependent on a fairer funding formula that recognises the complexities and changing nature of crime, the relationship between demand and deprivation alongside rising crime volumes and population growth.

“As it currently stands, we are relying on local taxpayers to fund almost half of the policing bill.”