BARROW'S MP has welcomed the announcement Cumbria has been bolstered by an additional 52 police officers.

The addition of these new officers brings the total number of officers across Cumbria up to 1,251.

Since the launch of the Government’s recruitment campaign a year ago, a total of 5,824 extra officers have joined police forces across England and Wales.

These statistics confirm that the Government remains fully on track to meet its manifesto commitment of recruiting 20,000 extra officers by 2023, and is ahead of schedule to have the first 6,000 in place by March 2021.

The new statistics also show that the police workforce is now more diverse than ever before, with 10.7 per cent of new recruits identifying as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and with 9,842 of all officers now being from these groups.

Barrow MP Simom Fell said: “Getting more police officers onto our streets is one of the people’s priorities, and so I am delighted that in just over one year, this Government has already delivered an extra 52 officers across Cumbria.

“Every one of these officers will make an enormous difference in helping to cut crime, keep people safe, and challenge anti-social behaviour. It will mean local bobbies coming back into towns like Dalton and Ulverston, with more to follow as the Government continues to deliver on its promise to recruit 20,000 more over the next three years.

“By backing our police with the funding, powers and resources they need, we are keeping the public and our communities safe, so that people everywhere can live their lives free from the fear of crime.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Getting more police officers on our streets is a priority for the British people – therefore a priority for me.

“Just one year since we began recruiting, I am delighted that there are nearly 6,000 of the 20,000 additional officers on our streets cutting crime and making your communities safer.

“As we’ve seen from the frontline response to Coronavirus, the work of each and every police officer helps to save lives and I would like to extend my gratitude to them, and to the new recruits, for joining the police and being a part of this heroic national effort.”