Policing Minister Tells LBC Logistics Still Need To Be Worked Out For 20k Police Promise
26 July 2019, 11:16
Speaking to LBC the Policing Minister said recruitment for 20,000 extra police officers will start soon, but access to lockers is a "constraint" on officer numbers.
Kit Malthouse told LBC that recruitment for 20,000 extra police officers will begin in September after new Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the pledge in his first Downing Street statement.
Mr Malthouse said a conversation was needed with Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables over "what the logistics look like."
When Nick Ferrari asked "where are you getting the money, how much will this cost?" The Minister said the current estimate, for the first year, was £500m and that it was a "three year program."
He said that "one of the things we need to talk to our colleagues about is the logistics."
The Minister said the "average cost" per officer was "about £47,000" but that there are "other bits and pieces."
Amazingly, he said one of the "constraints on police numbers is access to lockers" because a "modern police officer carries a lot of equipment."
Mr Malthouse said he would "hope and believe" first recruits from this "particular program" will be "hitting the ground in the early part of next year."
Watch the whole exchange in the video at the top of the page.
