Ranil Jayawardena, M.P. has welcomed today’s news of a substantial £450 million increase in police funding across England and Wales.

This includes up to an additional £270 million in police force budgets, so individual forces have the resources they need to respond to changes in demand. Police funding in Hampshire could increase by up to £9.6 million in 2018/19 as a result of these changes.

Mr Jayawardena has also welcomed news that the counter terrorism policing budget will rise by 7 per cent, with a £50 million increase taking it to at least £757 million, and £130 million extra for national policing priorities. This means the Government is now spending more on counter terrorism policing than ever before.

Commenting, Mr Jayawardena said:

“The first responsibility of government is to keep our country and its citizens safe, and to protect our way of life and our values. Over the past seven years crime has fallen by more than a third across the country, but we know there is more to do. That’s why we are putting in this additional investment to help Hampshire keep people safe in our community.”