A BARNSLEY MP has slammed the government over ‘reckless’ cuts to police funding.
Stephanie Peacock, MP for Barnsley East, has warned government is ‘failing to protect the public’ after new figures revealed funding to South Yorkshire Police is to be cut for an eighth consecutive year.
The news comes as police officer numbers nation-wide fall to the lowest level in three decades and the Labour Party is calling on government to properly fund the police with crime rocketing.
New figures released last month showed the highest annual rise in police recorded crime since comparable records began in 2002.
Stephanie said since 2010, South Yorkshire Police has lost 480 officers, and 36 per cent of its PCSOs, meaning almost 600 fewer front line staff.
She added: “Our police are at breaking point and the Tories’ prescription is yet more reckless funding cuts for our local force. The government are failing in their duty to protect the public.
“With crime soaring and officer numbers dwindling, our local police force simply cannot afford more cuts.”
