War of words breaks out after plans to draft in 100 new Leicestershire police officers look set to be axed

A fierce war of words has broken out between Leicestershire’s former Police and Crime Commissioner and the serving PCC over his move to axe plans to draft in 100 new police officers.

Lord Willy Bach, who stepped down from the role last May, has slammed Rupert Matthews for "failing to making communities in Harborough and across the county safer and more secure".

But Mr Matthews, who’s now held office for almost a year, hit back by condemning Lord Bach’s blueprint as “unsustainable”.

The row erupted as it emerged that Council Tax payers in Harborough will have to shell out an extra £10 for a Band D home from April to help bankroll Leicestershire Police.

That will hike the annual bill to just over £258.

And that’s on top of another £42.30 Council Tax people will have to pay hard-up Leicestershire County Council and an extra £5 to cash-strapped Harborough District Council for 2022-23.

Today Lord Bach said he left a “sustainable medium-term financial plan with fully-costed proposals to increase police numbers to 2,242 by April this year”.

“A further increase was planned for 2023, raising the total to 2,342 and restoring local police strength to pre-austerity levels,” said the former Harborough district councillor, who lives near Lutterworth.

Lord Bach said his final budget boosting police strength was approved on January 29, 2021.

"It can be unbecoming for someone leaving any job to throw stones at the performance of their successor - and I was keen to give Mr Matthews the benefit of the doubt.

“He deserved a chance to show that he puts the safety of local communities at the top of his priority list - but sadly he's fallen at the first hurdle.

“I have held my tongue about many of the strange decisions taken by Mr Matthews, but this one is a step too far,” said the former senior Labour national politician.

“From city and county alike, the message in my inbox is unchanged.

“People want to see more police on the streets.

“I worked to fulfil this expectation from day one and left office with a viable plan in place to restore police numbers and rebuild public confidence after a decade of central government cuts.

“My successor has discarded this plan preferring to take local taxpayers' money and hide it away for a rainy day.

“This astonishing decision does nothing for crime prevention,” said Lord Bach.

“That’s particularly so in Leicester and parts of Charnwood and North West Leicestershire where people worry about continuing levels of violence, anti-social behaviour and drug use."

Asked to respond to his predecessor’s accusations, Mr Matthews told the Harborough Mail: "Lord Bach's last budget, to which he is referring, did indeed promise 2,342 officers but only by using up our Budget Equalisation Reserve.

“That would run out in two years at which point we would be cutting numbers again.

“I don't work that way and to my mind, the boom and bust approach of my predecessor was not giving value for money to the taxpayer.

“I want to see a sustainable service that will keep our communities safe, now and into the future,” insisted the Conservative PCC, who lives in Kibworth Beauchamp.

"Lord Bach's budget and officer figures were in fact unsustainable in future years.

“We have worked hard to put that right."

Setting out his policing vision for Harborough for the year ahead, Mr Matthews said Leicestershire Police has to work alongside local people much more closely.

“I want to see the police working more collaboratively with local residents, listening and responding to the concerns raised in every community.

“Communications between the police and the law-abiding public must be improved.

"I am further determined that the work to tackle crime in rural communities will be strengthened.

“I have also spoken to many victims of crime.

“It’s evident that we need to make sure that the support they receive is outstanding,” said the PCC.

"As Police and Crime Commissioner, I will personally be spending a lot of time in our communities to establish what the public want from their police service and then representing that to the Chief Constable.”

Mr Matthews' budget of £223.2 million for 2022-23, an increase of £10.9 million over 2021-22, has now been approved by the local Police and Crime Panel.