PCC hits back at Reading councillors’ demand for more money

Matthew Barber has been the police and crime commissioner (PCC) for the area since the Local Elections in 2021, where he was elected as a Conservative.

He has come under fire recently as Labour councillors in Reading have complained of a reduction in Community Safety Partnership (CSP) funding.

CSPs are made up of councils, the police and partner organisations that work together to prevent crime, with each receiving funded by the PCC.

Reading’s CSP has reduced from £453,128 to £373,411 for the 2022/23 financial year.

At a housing, neighbourhoods and leisure committee meeting on Wednesday, January 4, Labour councillors raised concerns such as the lack of neighbourhood police in the town, and the decline in funding for Reading’s CSP.

READ MORE: Reading claims crime commissioner is not spending enough to tackle violent crime

But Mr Barber has argued the councillors have conflated the issues.

Mr Barber said: “For a start they seem to be mistaken and deliberately conflating two separate things.

“The community safety fund covers all the non-policing work around prevention, with funding allocated based on a formula which takes into account population size and crime levels.

“I’d like to have more cash to give, if anyone has a better way of dishing out that money I’m very open to views.

“But actually that formula has been a very fair way of distributing funds over the last couple of years.

READ MORE: Police boss grilled in Reading over priorities and initiative funding reductions

“Reading has got more money through other streams, such as the Safer Streets Fund, where Reading received more money than other areas.

“They’re conflating these funding streams with police officer numbers.

“We have more police officers than ever before, and we have a target by the end of April of recruiting more than 700 more officers.

“The 2023/24 budget will secure additional officers to make sure we can increase police numbers as the population increases.”

Mr Barber also argued Thames Valley Police has held a successful recruitment drive.

According to police statistics between April and September 2022, more than 1,600 police officer applications were received, of which 17 per cent of applicants were Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic, and 38 per cent were women.

The applications were submitted as part of Thames Valley Police commitment to recruit 702 extra officers in the 2022/23 financial year.

The force currently has over 8,000 staff, officers and volunteers.

Mr Barber added: “They’re saying we want more for Community Safety Partnerships, we want more on the ground when they are two different issues.

“It’s about getting a balance.

Matthew Barber the Conservative Police Crime and Commissioner for the Thames Valley. Credit Conservative Party

“The police are working with local authorities through community safety partnerships on the preventative work that local authorities can do, versus the issue of police numbers that are determined in the policing budget.”

As well as neighbourhood police specifically assigned in Reading, there are teams that work throughout Berkshire, such as the domestic abuse teams and roads policing officers.

In closing, Mr Barber said: “My team are working with the community safety partnership in Reading and are very keen to support that work.”

Mr Barber is due to appear at a future Reading Borough Council policy committee meeting.