Scott Mann has continued his campaign to get fairer police funding for North Cornwall after writing to policing minister Brandon Lewis to highlight the challenges facing rural police forces such as Devon and Cornwall.
Funding for rural forces is typically lower per head than urban forces, and in November 2015, Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner and the county's six Conservative MPs managed to get a proposed funding formula shelved, as it would have seen Devon and Cornwall lose £15 million.
Writing to the Policing Minister, Scott said:
"Rural areas such as Cornwall and Devon face various challenges and responsibilities due to the sparsity of their communities and populations, and I know that our own Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, has been working closely with the Home Office to work up a formula which recognises rural areas in a much fairer way compared to how funding has been historically distributed.
"All police forces face many challenges, but rural forces face that extra challenge of having to deploy resources across much wider areas. Time and distance to reach emergencies are longer than in urban areas, and that’s why it’s vital we secure officer numbers.
"The general public feel reassured to see police officers walking the streets, because not only can they tend to incidencts quicker, but it deters crime from taking place as well. I am encouraged, however, that this Government has recognised the need for funding reform and I look forward to seeing your recommendations in the near future."
Funding formula proposals for 2017/18 are expected soon from the Home Office.