I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s new Police and Crime Commissioner.
We discussed the Constabulary’s recruitment drive, and what it will mean for future policing in our area. As part of the Government’s commitment to fund an additional 20,000 frontline police officers, our local force has recruited a total of 120 officers. This brings the total number of officers up to 1,658 - a record high.
One area where this increase will be felt the most is in efforts to tackle rural crime. The Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) will now be joined by additional Special Constables, who will focus on tackling issues faced by rural communities. In addition, the Police and Crime Commissioner will boost funding to Cambridgeshire Countryside Watch by £25k, enabling them to play a greater role in tackling rural crime.
Making sure that our region has the police it needs to tackle crime and make people feel safe has always been one of my highest priorities, and I will continue to work with our local police force and the Police and Crime Commissioner on these aims.
