Thames Valley Police reassure public after reports officers told to make fewer arrests
The force has released a statement in relation to reports of reducing arrests
The Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg says that he wants reassure people, following reports of officers are being told to make fewer arrests, due to lack of prison space.
It's after Justice Committee chair Sir Robert Neill warned prisons are "running out of space" due to factors like a rise in jail numbers and crumbling 'Victorian-era' buildings.
Jason Hogg has made the following statement:
“We remain committed to the communities we serve by fighting crime and serving victims.
“We are aware of the pressures being faced across the wider criminal justice system, and we are working to support them as much as we possibly can.
“Our priority remains to protect our communities and I would like to reassure people across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire that we will continue to be proactive in arresting those who are suspected of committing crimes.
“In the last financial year we made almost over 30,000 arrests, an increase of over 7% more than the previous year, resulting in more charges for crimes such as rape offences (increasing by 17.4%) and drug trafficking (25% increase).
“We continue to work hard and with our partners to bring more offenders to justice.”
Yesterday the Minister for Policing Chris Philp told MPs 20,000 more prison places were being created.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Government have "catastrophically failed to manage the criminal justice system or build the basic prison places promised"