Cleveland Police officers are operating “with one hand tied behind their backs”, according to Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey.
Matt is actively lobbying for a review of the outdated formula used to set levels of police funding in England and Wales.
He makes this refreshed plea on Emergency Services Day (Tuesday, 9 September), in which we celebrate the efforts of all emergency service personnel who work tirelessly to keep communities safe.
Whilst police funding has increased nationally in recent months, Cleveland has received a lower increase than other forces.
Figures show that if Cleveland Police received the average funding increase as seen by most police forces, it would have almost £11m more to spend per year.
This would have replaced the 200 police officers ‘lost’ due to government cuts since 2010.
For the 12 months ending December 2024, Cleveland Police recorded approximately 73,000 crimes. Despite a crime reduction of 10%, the force’s overall crime rate continues to be the highest in the country.
Latest ONS data shows that during year ending March 2025, Cleveland recorded 122.1 crimes per 1,000 population compared to the national average of 87.2.
Matt said: “Cleveland is home to some of the most chronically deprived communities in the country, facing heightened social vulnerability, high levels of child poverty, poorer health outcomes, elevated crime levels, and significant pressure on public services, including policing.
“Yet despite this demonstrable need, the continued use of an outdated funding formula has left the Cleveland policing area at a persistent disadvantage.
“We have the police budget for a small rural force but face metropolitan levels of crime. We need a formula based on need and deprivation rather than scarcity.”
Matt also recognises a discrepancy in the local police precept which is part of Council Tax.
Matt said: “Currently, residents with a Band D property in Cleveland pay £317 for policing per year, whilst in some forces it is as low as £195.
“Therefore, if residents in all force areas paid the same as those living in Cleveland, there would be an additional £560m nationally to spend on policing.
“I believe there are credible and practical pathways for rebalancing funding in a way that is both fair and sustainable.”
Victim support services
Cleveland is home to high-quality, flexible victim support services which provide life-changing support to people affected by crime, including some of the most traumatic offences such as violence, sexual assault and arson.
However, funding provided by the Ministry of Justice for victim support is calculated on population, not on crime rates.
This means Cleveland receives about half of the victim funding allocated to the safest force area in the country.
The five forces with the lowest crime rates in England and Wales receive around £19 per crime for victim support services. Cleveland gets just £7 per crime. This means Cleveland is losing out on almost £1m of potential funding per year.
Matt recently wrote to the Home Secretary to reiterate his ongoing concern about disparities in police funding that continue to disadvantage the Cleveland force area.
He will soon be launching a local campaign to secure fairer funding for policing and victim support services in Cleveland.
Matt continues: “The current unfair funding formula not only compromises public safety in our communities but increases strain on individual police officers, staff and volunteers, leading to burnout, low morale and recruitment shortfall.
“Public safety is a collective right and not a privilege reserved for well-funded postcodes. I will continue to push for a funding system that is fair for everyone.
“I vow to continue the fight, lobbying government relentlessly for a fairer funding settlement to ensure Cleveland has the police force we need and rightly deserve.”