THE Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner has lobbied the Prime Minister for more funding for the local police force.

New figures show Wiltshire is currently the fourth-lowest funded force in the country, leaving those forces disadvantaged by the current funding formula used by the central government to allocate policing budget.

PCC Philip Wilkinson lobbied PM Liz Truss during her campaign to become the next leader of the Conservative Party and the UK’s Prime Minister, and intends to continue to do so.

He has also said he intends to write to the new Home Secretary Suella Braverman to seek assurances over funding the policing services.

Mr Wilkinson said: “Of course, the Prime Minister has the cost-of-living crisis and energy crisis, all of which will have an effect on crime across the UK, to deal with first and foremost.

“Then I would like to see as much urgency placed upon starting the review of the outdated police funding formula, as was promised in the campaign, and I will be writing to the new Home Secretary to explain this.”

The current funding formula is based on money per head of population, as well as crime rates – among other factors.

Mr Wilkinson added that just because the county is rural, that does not mean that the same crimes faced by urban areas aren’t an issue here.

He said modern-day policing in Wiltshire has seen increased demand without the funding increasing meaning there is less money, per head-of-population, to fight crime and provide the quality policing service that officers want to deliver and that residents want to be on the receiving end of.

He added: “Crime doesn’t stop at county boundaries - Wiltshire has problems with county lines drugs, with modern slavery, with cybercrime and fraud alongside increasing domestic abuse, serious sexual offences and child sexual exploitation, just as urban areas do.

“The dominance of the internet, and easier communications, means our worlds have become smaller and criminals can, and do, use this for their own gain. We also have the vast swathe of Salisbury Plain in the middle of our county which is a magnet for hare coursers and organised criminal gangs using Wiltshire’s green assets for their own gain.

“And I see it as my role to ensure our Prime Minister delivers that rebalance to  the police funding formula and to fund Wiltshire Police to the same level as its urban counterparts.”