MP takes up fight for more police funding
SUGGESTIONS that Government funding for Norfolk police could be cut back because the formula used to calculate grants has been revised has shocked South West Norfolk MP Christopher Fraser.
He intends to raise what he described as "this shameful situation" with the Government as soon as the House of Commons returns.
Mr Fraser said: "Despite clear evidence that the constabulary is not receiving sufficient funds to ensure proper policing in the county, Norfolk has faced year-on-year cuts. The prospect of even fewer officers on the beat is terrifying.
"I held surgeries in five towns and villages across South West Norfolk last week and by far the most pressing issue raised with me at every venue was law and order.
"Constituents told me of drugs being sold openly in villages, of vandalism and burglary at community facilities, of frequent thefts from farms, of calls for help that went unanswered because there were simply not enough officers on duty, particularly at night.
"I have always said that Norfolk Constabulary does an exceptional job in the most difficult circumstances, but enough is enough. I have huge sympathy with the Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire in her call for ministers to recognise that the influx of migrant workers is putting immense pressure on the infrastructure of rural areas.
"Norfolk Constabulary needs better funding and a release from bureaucracy and form-filling if local people are to feel safe in their own homes, as they have every right to do."
The MP said he was lobbying the Government for a better deal for Norfolk police because it had a vast rural area to cover, as well as dealing with anti-social behaviour and serious crime in towns with problems of deprivation.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 2 C
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Light sleet showers
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