All but 2 Police Forces have seen Officer numbers boosted within the last year

ANALYSIS by finance experts, RIFT, has revealed which areas of England and Wales have seen the biggest boost to the number of boobies on the beat, despite fears that budget constraints could lead to staff cuts. As well as the only 2 Police Forces to have seen a decline.

RIFT analysed data on Police Force numbers across each Police Force in England and Wales and how these figures have changed over the last year (March 2023; latest available).

The figures show that across England and Wales, the number of Police Officers has increased by 5.1% in the last year, climbing by an average of 1.3% per year over the last decade.

However, the Police Force is facing a tough time in the current landscape, with reports earlier this year suggesting it could face a budget shortfall to the tune of:- £700m and Police chiefs warning of staff cuts as a result.

Despite these fears, every Region of England and Wales has seen an increase in Police Officer numbers in the last year, with the largest jump seen in the South West at 5.2%.

The research by RIFT also shows that when it comes to the safest streets based on the number of Police Officers per Force, the City of London, Derbyshire and Thames Valley rank top.

The City of London has seen a 13.2% increase in Police Officers in the last 12 months, while Derbyshire and Thames Valley have seen increases of 9.9% and 9.3% respectively.

Other areas to make the top 10 include:- Avon and Somerset (+8.9%), Greater Manchester (+8.5%), Lancashire (+8.3%), Durham (+8.1%), Surrey (+8%), Staffordshire (+7.2%) and West Yorkshire (+6.9%).

However, the analysis by RIFT shows that there are 2 Police Forces across England and Wales that have seen a decline in Officer numbers, albeit marginal.

Lincolnshire has seen the number of Police Officers within the Force fall by -0.7% in the last year, with Leicestershire also seeing a -0.3% reduction.

Bradley Post, MD of RIFT, commented:- "The current economic landscape is proving problematic for everyone, the Police Force included. The good news is that as it stands, we're yet to see fears of budget constraint led staff cuts materialise and, in fact, the number of Police Officers has increased pretty much across the board when compared to just a year ago. For the general public this will come as welcome news and even more so for those within the Force who have been stretched thin in recent times doing their best to keep our streets safe with the resources they have."

Southport yields more valuable items at antiques valuation events

SOUTHPORT continues to be a happy hunting ground for leading Regional fine art auctioneers Halls Fine Art. The Shrewsbury based auction house held a bi-monthly antiques valuation event at Meols Hall, Churchtown, Southport this week when specialists Maryanne Lineker Mobberley and Alexander Clement took in for sale a Cartier diamond brooch valued at up to:- £6,000 and a Clair de Lune Chinese vase valued at up to:- £1,500, respectively. Halls Fine Art has held free antique valuation events in Southport for almost a decade and their top discovery in the seaside resort to date was a rare Chinese blue and white porcelain vase that sold for:- £150,000 in 2017, despite having damage to its rim. Standing 55cm high, the bottle shaped vase had the mark of Emperor Yongzheng, who reigned between:- 1723-'35, on the underside.

Alexander, Halls Fine Art's General Valuer and Asian art and Watches Specialist explained:- "An exciting antique find like this 1 is what keeps us auctioneers getting out of bed in the morning."

Maryanne, who is Halls Fine Art's silver and jewellery specialist, added:- "Southport and the surrounding area have traditionally been very good for producing quality jewellery and silver items which we have sold at auction."

Specialists from Halls provide expert valuations on:- fine art, Asian art, antiques, silver, jewellery and watches, furniture and clocks, militaria, ceramics, books manuscripts and maps, coins and stamp collections

People who wish to have large antiques valued may take along photographs to show the specialists. Anyone with a collection or potentially valuable items which they wish to have professionally assessed can contact Halls Fine Art on:- 01743450700.

Alexander commented:- "We know from past experience that there are treasures just waiting to be identified in Southport and surrounding area. Receiving an up to date valuation of silver, jewellery, pictures and antiques is important for homeowners, as markets fluctuate. Based on what we tell them, they might need to review their home contents insurance cover, as they will not want to be underinsured in the unfortunate event of having to make a claim. People sometimes have no idea how valuable items are and it's very rewarding to be able to deliver the good news to them."