Wiltshire PCC says Government policing funding is 'postcode lottery'
Philip Wilkinson believed there's been 'years of underfunding'
Wiltshire Police is to get an extra 24 officers on the streets, following a Government pledge to invest more into neighbourhood policing.
The announcement is due to bring 13,000 more officers to the frontline across the country by 2029.
But the county's Police and Crime Commissioner believes the funding is a 'postcode lottery', with Wiltshire being overlooked.
Philip Wilkinson says the latest announcement doesn't make up for 'years of underfunding' for policing here.
In a statement, Wiltshire's PCC said: “Whilst I welcome the Government’s commitment to neighbourhood policing, there is very little in the Government’s new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee that Chief Constable Roper has not already actioned.
“Wiltshire and Swindon’s residents will benefit from this neighbourhood policing grant, but it does not address the years of underfunding of Wiltshire Police caused by the national police funding formula that means Wiltshire Police continues to be the third lowest funded police force per head of population in the country.
“Without adequate core funding from the Home Office to deliver the basics and business as usual of policing, the policing postcode lottery will inevitably continue to exist until a fairer funding formula is established that ensures those who live and work in Wiltshire and Swindon get the policing service they rightly deserve and expect.”