The Wiltshire Police commissioner has warned that continued underfunding poses a serious risk to community safety, as the force faces a multi-million-pound budget shortfall.
PCC Philip Wilkinson has written to Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson MP to raise his concerns over Wiltshire being the third-lowest funded police force in England, behind Essex and Lincolnshire.
Lincolnshire Police has already warned it may have to make significant cuts to officer and staff numbers if funding does not improve. This is a situation Mr Wilkinson says Wiltshire must avoid.
Despite a 6.2% increase in the Home Office grant this year, riding demand means Wiltshire Police is struggling to balance its finances due to rising employer National Insurance contributions, inflation, and the police officer pay award.
While £120 million has been made available nationally to cover most of the pay award, Wiltshire Police is expected to fund more than £100,000 of the shortfall itself.
The force currently faces a £6.8 million budget shortfall, including £1.3 million in unreimbursed costs from policing national projects such as the Stonehenge Tunnel and Rwanda asylum schemes.
Mr Wilkinson said: “This is not just a budgetary issue, it’s a matter of public safety.
“Wiltshire Police has made remarkable strides in performance, now boasting the lowest crime rate in the country.
“But without proper funding, we risk undoing all that progress.”
Wiltshire Police receives just £115 per head from the Home Office grant, compared with the national average of £164. A lower-than-average council tax precept income means overall police funding in the county is £238 per head, the third lowest nationally.
Mr Wilkinson added: “If Wiltshire were funded at the national average, we would have an additional £25 million to invest in frontline policing and support services.
“Instead, we are forced to scrutinise every contract line by line and consider painful cuts that could impact service delivery.”
The PCC also expressed concern about the impact of national police reform on local budgets, warning that any restructuring must be properly funded and planned.
He continue: “Policing is the bedrock of safe communities. Any reform or restructuring must be properly funded and strategically planned.
“Right now, we’re being asked to do more with less, and that’s simply not sustainable.”
Mr Wilkinson has called on the Home Office and Treasury to urgently review the police funding formula and provide extra support to ensure Wiltshire Police can continue to deliver an effective service.
