Clause 1 - National Policing Plan
Police Reform Bill [Lords]
10:30 am
Mr John Denham (Minister of State (Police, Courts and Drugs), Home Office; Southampton, Itchen, Labour)
I am not sure that I understand that. There are differences between us. Clearly, the Opposition parties believe that the Government are wrong to set a target of 130,000 police officers and to deploy the finance for those officers. The Liberal Democrats have a right to say that they disagree with us. The Conservative party said, ''You shouldn't do that sort of thing. We wouldn't want to see that number of police officers in a national policing plan.'' I believe that the Government have taken a reasonable, right and proper decision to increase the number of police officers and make the finance available. The vast majority of people will find it extraordinary that it has been suggested this morning that that should not happen.