Humfrey Malins

Conservative Party | Woking

Woking MP continues to fight for the Surrey police

5 February 2010

Humfrey Malins again spoke out in the Commons against government's capping of the Surrey Police Force. He argued that the government's grant formulas are almost un-intelligible and that Surrey Residents are in an "unhappy state of affairs" because they receive £93 per person for their policing; £57 below the national average.

He went on to compliment the efforts Surrey Police Force in these hard times by saying, "We have a very good police force in Surrey. It is well led by chief constable Mark Rowley, and the British crime survey assessed that it was the absolute top force in the country in terms of public confidence in the police and local councils' joint work to deal with antisocial behaviour. In Surrey, not least because of financial constraints, we are focusing very hard on local expectations rather than on national targets."

Capping of the Police Grant is a real issue for Surrey police over the past year and Mr Malins addressed this issue in the commons by saying the following.

"It was sad when our policing grant was capped, however. It was a terrible business when the decision was announced. We had a big debate about it in Westminster Hall and I remember that all my Surrey colleagues were there. The decision was made to ask Surrey police to return £1.6 million to the Surrey tax payer at an actual cost of £1.2 million. It is ludicrous to spend £1.2 million to send back £1.6 million, and it was an indefensible decision. When we set that against the chronic shortfall in central Government funding, in particular, we find that it was a sad state of affairs."

Mr Malins enjoyed talking of brighter issues for the future of Surrey Police and went on to mention new initiatives for frontline policing.

"Something rather innovative is happening in our county, and I wonder whether other police forces are aware of it; I suspect that the minister will be. Whatever the financial constraints, we are trying to get 200 more visible police officers on the streets."

Speaking afterwards Humfrey said "I know from my own survey of my constituents that more police on the streets is the number one desire of local people. So to be introducing these measures in spite of the current financial position is a very good thing indeed."