The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has branded the Chancellor of the Exchequer ‘out of touch’ and ‘detached’ from the current rise in violent crime in areas like the West Midlands.
Phillip Hammond, said in a recent radio interview, that: “If your house is on fire, you stop painting it and you go and get a bucket and start pouring water on the fire.”
However, David Jamieson, said: “I listened with disbelief when I heard the Chancellor, from the comfort of number 11 Downing Street, comparing the recent spike in violent crime in urban areas like ours with someone painting their house.
“The reality is that knife and gun crime have risen sharply both here in the West Midlands and across the country.
“After a decade of cuts the thin blue line is now thinner than ever.
“I would ask the Chancellor what police operations he wants us to stop doing in order to tackle violent crime. Would he prefer West Midlands police to do less to tackle child sexual abuse, domestic violence or terrorism? I eagerly await his response.
“Policing is complex and there are a huge variety of demands placed upon it.
“The Chief Constable has quite rightly prioritised the response to knife crime in our area, but that effort hasn’t been without significant cost.”
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