Diane Abbott response to the latest Home Office data on police numbers and crime in England and Wales

“This a damning indictment of the Tory record.

“The Tories have cut police officer numbers again in the latest
12 months and now there are well over 20,000 fewer than in 2010.  And
despite promising to protect budgets, they continue to cut funding even as a
senior figures in policing line up to warn they are overstretched and struggle
to cope with demand.

“Now police have recorded their highest number of crimes in a
decade, including over a million violent offences, and yet today’s figure also
reveal a shocking fall in the rate of charges and summonses.

“The Tories simply aren’t allowing the police to protect the
public. Labour in government will tackle rising crime. We pledge to bring back
10,000 officers. It’s what the police need and the public deserve.”