More Devon and Cornwall officers on the beat thanks to funding
More police officers will be on the beat in Devon and Cornwall after a £4.7m grant from the Home Office.The grant meant 45 more police officers would be deployed into neighbourhood police teams, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly said.It also means 55 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) will be recruited, as well as 10 special constable volunteers.Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said the funding was "fantastic news".
Hernandez said increased policing was "proven to improve confidence and reduce crime".The funding forms parts of the government's Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee - which has made £200m available to police forces nationally in 2025/2026 to support the increase of neighbourhood officers in years to come.
Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew said neighbourhood policing was at the centre of how the force supported communities.He said: "We will ensure these 110 officers and staff respond to what our communities need and have been telling us. "They will be visible and accessible within our villages, towns and cities tackling antisocial behaviour and local crime."The neighbourhood policing grant is in addition to £1m funding from the Home Office to deliver hotspot policing in Devon and Cornwall for a second year.In 2024-2025, the project delivered more than 22,000 hours of foot patrols by police and local authority street marshals, the OPCC said.
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