England’s suffering seaside towns need a £50 million cash injection to free them from yobs, MPs demand
ENGALND’S suffering seaside towns need a £50 million cash injection to free them from yobs, MPs demanded today.
Police chiefs and politicians have implored the PM to create a new “Coastal Surge Fund’ to help once-loved resorts fight “vandalism and drunken brawls” during busy summer months.
The plea comes as new research from the Onward think tank shows crime rates are 12 per cent worse on England’s coast, with hotspots like coastal North Devon seeing crime 151 per cent higher than nearby inland areas.
Funding for cops don’t account for coastal tourism.
MPs say in summer this means local forces are undermanned by up to 7,500 officers.
In St Ives, Cornwall, with a population of 5,400 people during off-seasons, just ten cops monitor the town despite 540,000 holidaymakers visiting annually.
Onward argue a £50m Coastal Surge Fund would enable towns to bring in sufficient police support to tackle yob behaviour in the high season.
A similar trial scheme in Southend-on-Sea saw community assault, robberies and drug dealing plummet by 73% over three months.
North Devon MP Selaine Saxby said: “A million people visit North Devon’s beautiful coastline every year, but it puts enormous pressure on local policing.
“A fund to help boost visible policing during the summer would help cut crime, support our tourism industry, and offer a fairer deal to my constituents.
“I hope ministers consider it.”
Southend West MP Anna Firth added: “When people visit en mass to our outstanding English coastline, local forces are often too small to stay visible.
“The Coastal Surge Fund is a great operation that will help Southend and Essex police continue to do the fantastic work that they do in our city.”
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Katy Bourne, Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex, said that especially as staycations grow in popularity, coastal policing challenges have to be addressed.
“Onward are right that now is the time to consider matching police funding to seasonal variations in the population,” she told The Sun.