Home Secretary visits Halifax police station to thank emergency services on shift over Xmas
The Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley MP has been meeting neighbourhood police officers
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has thanked police and other emergency workers who are on shift over the festive period.
Ms Cooper visited Halifax police station, in West Yorkshire, where she met neighbourhood officers preparing for what they said was their busiest time of year.
She discussed the challenges of policing the nighttime economy in Halifax and other towns in Calderdale before heading out with officers as they went on patrol.
All of the officers she spoke to told the Home Secretary they were working part of the Christmas period.
Ms Cooper said: "The festive period can be the busiest time of year for policing.
"While everybody else is enjoying ourselves, you've got police officers and police staff working really hard through Christmas and new year, just as they do every single day of the year to keep us safe."
The Home Secretary said: "That's why I wanted to say a huge thank you to all of the emergency service workers - to police forces, to firefighters, to our NHS, who are working so hard through Christmas and new year."
Asked by reporters about police chiefs' concerns they may have to cut jobs due to funding issues, Ms Cooper said: "We're investing a billion pounds extra into policing next year on top of the current resources and we've already increased the additional funding for policing this year.
"But it's a recognition of the important work that police officers do right across the country to keep us safe."
The Home Secretary said that since the election, the Government had brought in measures to combat spiking, stalking and knife sales; set out additional funding for neighbourhood policing; worked on new agreements with Germany and Iraq; was working with France to tackle small boat gangs; and working on its mission to halve serious violence against women and girls.
She said this was "only possible because of the dedication of huge numbers of people, not just in police forces like here in West Yorkshire, but right cross the country".
Ms Cooper was also asked about immigration during her Halifax visit.
She said: "We have been clear that net migration needs to come down.
"It hit record highs and it needs to come down.
"That's why we're setting out a White Paper next year on how we make sure that we really re-establish control and proper management to the system which really has had chaos as part of it for such a long time."