The Spending Review 2025 (SR25), setting out the Labour government’s plans, was given by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves on Wednesday in the House of Commons (link to her speech and the debate in Hansard).
She announced that she was ‘increasing police spending power by an average 2.3 per cent per year in real terms over the spending review period’; while the Shadow Chancellor, Sir Mel Stride, complained that the ‘review will not deliver for our hard-working police officers across the country’. In a statement, the Labour Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said that he remained ‘concerned that this Spending Review could result in insufficient funding for the Met [Police] and fewer police officers’.
Comments
Jason Towse, Managing Director, Business Services at the facilities management contractor Mitie, said: “Against a vast backdrop of threats to public safety, ranging from organised retail crime to the ongoing epidemic of violence against women and girls, many were hoping to see more from the Government on delivering its promise to improve safety on our streets.
“With growing pressure on our police forces, and limited levers to deliver policy commitments, building public confidence in our justice system cannot be done in a silo. The expertise, experience and specialist skills found within the private sector can help bridge gaps in policing and support a system of national security and resilience that acts both as a foundation for economic growth and as a driver of thriving communities.
“As the UK’s largest intelligence-led security company, Mitie is already supporting the police with insights captured by market-leading monitoring technologies, as well as helping to improve cohesion between forces through data sharing agreements like the one we developed with Opal, the specialist retail crime policing unit. In just a short amount of time, intelligence-led data sharing between forces and retailers has led to hundreds of prosecutions.
“Regardless of the number of officers on the streets, integrating policing with world-class technology and specialist support in the private sector can act as a further deterrent to offenders and ensure that those who do offend face appropriate consequences. As an industry, we stand ready to support the Government and the Police to turn the tide on crime.”
Police Federation of England and Wales Acting National Chair Tiff Lynch complained that police officers were ‘overworked, underpaid, and under threat like never before’. She said: “They are facing blades and bricks, managing mental health crises while battling to protect their own, and carrying the weight of trauma and financial stress home with them every day. Police pay has fallen by over 20 per cent in real terms since 2010.
“The number of crimes allocated to each officer has jumped by a third in a decade. We will lose 10,000 experienced officers a year to resignation by the end of this spending review period – driven out by poor pay and unacceptable working conditions.
Rob Sinclair, CEO of the Nottingham-based investigative software firm Altia, said: “We’re pleased to see the Chancellor recognise that our police forces are stretched and actively working to increase resources. This funding boost reflects a clear understanding that visible policing is crucial to keeping our streets safe. But alongside increased numbers, we must also improve how resources are used. Technology has a key role to play in driving efficiencies and saving valuable police time, allowing officers to focus on frontline work and community engagement.
“We would like to see even more done in this area, and Altia stands ready to support police forces in adopting smart, effective solutions that make a real difference.”
Cyber comments
A spokesperson for the CyberUp Campaign said that the Spending Review rightly recognises the importance of investing in AI and technological innovation for national security and economic growth. “However, without an urgent update of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 (CMA), the UK’s tech and cyber security industries will not be fully able to capitalise on these investments.
“AI-driven innovation in cybersecurity can only be harnessed if cyber professionals are empowered to use cutting-edge tools without fear of criminalisation under outdated laws. While our global competitors update their legal frameworks to support their cyber defences, the UK is falling behind. A modernised CMA would enable British cyber experts to protect businesses and the public more effectively, unlock the true potential of AI in cyber, and secure the UK’s position as a leader in digital resilience by attracting more investment into the UK. We urge the Government to ensure its investment is accompanied by legislative reform, so our cyber professionals are equipped to meet the threats of today and tomorrow.”
For background on CyberUp, visit https://www.cyberupcampaign.com/about.
Trevor Dearing, Director of Critical Infrastructure at cyber firm Illumio, pointed to the importance of the NHS building digital systems that are resilient with its £10 billion investment. He said: “A key focus of the government’s new £10 billion digital investment to move NHS tech into the ‘digital age’ must be building systems that improve patient services but are also resilient.
“We’ve seen in the past, when NHS systems go down, the chaos caused and the wide social impact on the general population. Therefore, the commitment to digitise even more systems puts an even greater target on the NHS. When digitising these systems, the NHS must focus on having measures that protect its most critical services and maintained service continuity. Security today is about knowing that breaches are inevitable, but disasters are optional. This realisation is key to maintaining trust and continuity during a cyberattack.
“With more systems becoming more digital, it will also be important for the government to address NHS’s challenge with legacy systems. This is already a serious concern, with the UK government admitting over 25 per cent of its digital systems are outdated. The cost of upgrades and replacements will be well worth it if it helps reduce the chances of multi-million-pound breaches.”
