Leader of Oldham Councils’ Liberal Democrat Opposition councillor Howard Sykes MBE has hit out at Labour’s Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham after government figures confirm that Greater Manchester has 112 fewer Community Support Officers than in 2017, when Mr Burnham took office.
Councillor Sykes said, “When it comes to policing in Oldham and across Greater Manchester, the buck stops with Mayor Burnham. He is ultimately responsible for policing. He has promised a PCSO for every ward in Greater Manchester, and he has failed spectacularly.”
The Conservative government has a target to deliver 20,000 new police officers by 2023. But analysis of Home Office data commissioned by the Liberal Democrats reveals that Greater Manchester PCSO numbers have fallen by 316 since 2015, a reduction of 39.3%.
Councillor Sykes said, “Far from more officers on the beat, we have 316 less. This is a total failure of the Tory Government and the Greater Manchester Mayor who are both trying to convince the public they have a handle on policing. The reality is they don’t, and the results of broken promises are there for everyone to see. Our communities feel less safe, and crime is going unrecorded and investigated.”
Until October 2022, Greater Manchester Police had been placed in special measures by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC). But in January, Mayor Burnham announced that he would increase council tax precepts to fund policing across Oldham and Manchester.
Councillor Sykes said, “It is quite something to ask the public to bail out what was, until very recently, a failing force during a cost-of-living crisis. But to go cap in hand to residents when you’ve presided over a collapse in front line policing numbers insults local residents.”