Henry Smith MP welcomes increase in police funding to cut crime and keep Sussex safe

• That is why in 2024-25, police forces will receive up to £843 million to better protect the public, so that every officer and community has the support and resources they need to cut crime, protect the public and build confidence in policing.
• The Government is ensuring the police have the necessary resources to clamp down on crime, making our communities better and safer places to live.

Henry Smith MP has welcomed additional police funding totalling £393.9 million for Sussex Police which is an increase of £25 million on last year – 6.8 per cent.

Henry said: “This additional funding for Sussex Police from the Government is excellent news for Crawley.

“This funding, alongside the 439 new police officers in Sussex, will make our streets safer and help cut crime.

“Government is right to take a tough stance on all crime and deliver the long-term decisions needed for a brighter future.”

This funding is part of a total of £843 million to better protect the public. Additional funding will help make sure that crime is effectively tackled by the police and people are kept safe in Crawley.

This new funding is a 30.7 per cent rise in cash terms compared to 2019-20, as part of the Government’s long-term efforts to cut crime and keep our communities safe. The proposed package for 2024-25 could see a total of up to £18.4 billion pledged to support the police to cut crime, tackle anti-social behaviour and pursue county lines gangs.

This announcement comes weeks after the Government’s introduction of five new pieces of legislation to keep our streets safe. These will ensure criminals are locked up for longer, victims are protected, with police and intelligence services given further powers to protect us, delivering on the promise to clamp down on crime.

The Government has already delivered on its commitment to recruit 20,000 more police officers, putting more police on our streets and cracking down on crime. Since 2010, their zero-tolerance approach to crime has worked, with crime down by 50 per cent, excluding fraud.

Government is laser focused on taking the long-term decisions required to tackle crime in our communities, whilst continuing to support victims in Crawley and across the country.

The Home Secretary, James Cleverly, commented;

“Our communities deserve a well-funded and equipped force, dedicated to making our country safer.

“Progress has been made, with overall crime down and 136,000 violent offences prevented since 2019, but we will continue to invest in policing.

“That is why we are putting up to £843 million more into keeping our streets safe, so that every officer and community has what they need to cut crime, protect the public and build confidence in policing.”