Reading Liberal Democrats

LIB DEMS: Select Committee told: ‘Fair Funding for Reading’s Police; no more Labour Failure’ Liberal Democrats will today (Thursday) take the message of their campaign for fair funding of Reading’s police officers to the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee when it visits Reading – led by lead councillor on Safer Communities Cllr Daisy Benson.

However, the timing of the visit has been criticised for being close to local elections and preventing an honest debate about policing and in particular the historical shortages of police suffered acutely by Reading and other areas in the Thames Valley over many years. Liberal Democrats see the visit – organised by Martin Salter MP – as a cynical election ploy rather than a genuine attempt to tackle the problems of police retention in the Thames Valley.

Reading has implemented the Neighbourhood Policing system – but with some police areas having to double up in order to ensure there is sufficient coverage among neighbourhood police teams. The Audit Commission has given Reading’s Labour Council only a one-star rating and has criticised the Council for confusion between it and the Police over who is seen to be publicly responsible for tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in the town. By contrast, Liberal Democrat-controlled Milton Keynes has been rated as an examplar on neighbourhood policing by the Home Office.

Cllr Daisy Benson, Liberal Democrat lead councillor on Safer Communities in Reading, is expected to say at the meeting:-’The issue in the Thames Valley goes wider than the 27% pay gap between our hard-working local police officers and those in the Met paid more to do the same job. Getting Neighbourhood Policing set up in Reading is a triumph for our local police – but it has been done on a shoestring, and Reading residents deserve better than being short-changed by the Labour Government. We need real change, not a photo-opportunity for Reading Labour at election time.’

Slamming Martin Salter’s move to bring the Select Committee to Reading just a week before Polling day, Cllr Gareth Epps, deputy Group Leader of Reading’s Liberal Democrats and PPC for Reading East, says:-’Martin Salter has failed miserably in 11 years as an MP to achieve any action on this issue. Only a few months ago the Home Secretary told him flat that she recognised no problem in the Thames Valley on police retention. Reading residents who have wondered for years where their local police were, know that Labour have achieved nothing. It is the hard work of Thames Valley officers that has brought in Neighbourhood Policing – but there is no firm foundation for the future. Cheap stunts by Martin Salter will ring hollow when his own Home Secretary doesn’t even recognise there is a problem and delivers such a public snub.’

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Select Committee member Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington said:-’It is a pity that the committee stage on the Terrorism Bill clashes with the visit to Reading. I know there are real issues in police funding between London and the areas around the capital. Towns such as Reading deserve a proper enquiry, and I will be pressing for the Labour Government to take proper action to recognise the long-term issues of police recruitment and retention in the Thames Valley.’