Victims across Isle of Wight are less likely to see the perpetrator brought to justice because of cuts to polices numbers since 2010, according to new analysis from anti austerity campaign group, Accountable, published today (Wednesday).
In Hampshire, police numbers are said to have been cut by 28% since 2010 – one of the biggest cuts in the country. This means that there are now just 14.5 police officers for every 10,000 people living here. That’s less than half the number of police officers per 10,000 people living in London.
Over this period there has been a concerning increase in violence against people, which has risen by 59%, and sexual offences, which have gone up by an alarming 163%.
Across the country, the number of crimes that result in a criminal either being charged or even simply being summoned to court have halved between 2010 and 2018. The report argues that this is a direct result of police cuts.
The new report shows that before the cuts, 1 in 5 robberies resulted in charges or court summons in 2010 but in 2018, only 2 robbery suspects out of every 25 were either summoned to court or charged. The report also shows that violent crime is also less likely to be punished. Nearly one third of all cases of violence against the person resulted in a court summon or charge in 2010, but in 2018 just 1 in 10 violent criminals were brought to justice.
Emily Darlington, Campaign Director at Accountable, said:
“This year could see a free-for-all for criminals thanks to cuts to police forces across the country. Criminals now know that their chances of getting caught have been drastically reduced. Cuts to police have been far too deep and need to be reversed in this year’s Spending Review or we risk fuelling further crime waves by simply not having the police we need to catch criminals and fight crime.
“The Government’s duty is to protect its citizens from crime. They are failing to catch and prosecute criminals because there aren’t enough police of our streets.”
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The report shows that cuts to police funding have resulted in a sharp decline in numbers of police. Central government funding to police commissioners has fallen by 30% in real terms since 2010-11, and across England and Wales the number of full-time equivalent police officers in England and Wales fell by 14%, or almost 20,000 officers, between 2009 and 2016.
In every single area of the UK, violent crime and sexual offences have risen since austerity began.
