It should not matter where you live when it comes to feeling safe – but today, it does. Across England and Wales, a funding gap is opening up that is leaving some communities better protected than others.

As your Police and Crime Commissioner, I have recently written to the Home Secretary and Chancellor to highlight the growing inequality between English and Welsh police forces and between richer and poorer parts of England itself.

Some forces now have hundreds more officers than they did in 2010, while others, like Durham, still have fewer. In 2010 Durham had 1,507 police officers. Today we have 1,376 – almost 150 fewer than fifteen years ag, despite rising demand and deeper deprivation. By contrast, Gwent Police, serving a similar population, has grown from 1,437 to around 1,549 officers – an increase of 8%. 112 officers more than they did fifteen years ago and 173 officers more than Durham!

This is not about efficiency or performance, the difference is simply funding and the rules that control how much we are allowed to raise locally.

Since 2010, Durham’s overall funding has grown by just 35%. In Gwent, it has risen by 48% and in North Yorkshire, by 49%. The key reason is precept yield – the amount raised locally through council tax.

In County Durham, every £1 added to the police precept raises around £190,000. In Gwent, it raises £230,000 and in North Yorkshire it raises £250,000. While English forces, like Durham, are capped by central government, Welsh forces are not.

Thanks to devolution, Welsh PCCs can increase their precept without a referendum limit. This flexibility allows them to reinvest in neighbourhood policing, upgrade technology and sustain officer numbers. If Durham had been given the same freedom as Gwent over the past five years, we would have raised an additional £7 million this year alone – enough to strengthen frontline visibility, modernise our estate and invest in safer vehicles.

This has created a postcode lottery in policing. Wealthier or devolved areas can raise more and deliver more. Forces like Durham, serving some of the country’s most deprived communities, are being unfairly held back.

That is why my clear ask to ministers is simple – give English PCCs the same precept flexibility as Welsh PCCs.

We should not be unfairly penalised or capped when our residents deserve the same level of safety, visibility, and reassurance as anywhere else in the UK.

This winter, I’m inviting local residents to take part in my Police Precept Consultation. The people of County Durham and Darlington consistently tell me they value local policing and are willing to support fair investment. However, they must be given the choice, just as communities in Wales already are.

Policing is about fairness. It is about ensuring every community, not just the wealthiest, has access to visible, responsive, and well-resourced officers.

Durham has led the way in doing more with less, but efficiency has limits. Without a fair funding system and equal flexibility, the promise of levelling up will remain out of reach for the areas that need it most.

Please sign up to Keep in the Know www.Keepintheknow.co.uk where you will be able to complete surveys online, ensure you are kept up to date about fraud, neighbourhood policing issues, crime prevention and get police and crime commissioner updates.. It only takes a couple of minutes and you will receive regular updates direct to your inbox. By doing you will help us make County Durham and Darlington safer, stronger and more resilient!