The Government’s Spending Review has left its pledge to make streets safer ‘in tatters’, says Thames Valley’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

In a speech on Wednesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves MP said she is increasing police spending power by 2.3 per cent per year – more than £2billion.

The Government’s plan involves putting 13,000 additional police and PCSOs into neighbourhood policing roles across the country.

However, Thames Valley’s PCC Matthew Barber – who called for ‘system-wide action’ to tackle ‘chronic underfunding’ of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) before the Review – says he is ‘hugely disappointed’.

He said that once the expected police pay rise is considered, this is actually likely to amount to a cut in funding for police forces.

“We will continue to see problems in our courts and prisons for many years to come, heaping more pressure on police forces and risking damage to public confidence,” Mr Barber said.

Prior to the Spending Review, Mr Barber and a fellow PCC, Donna Jones, raised concerns about the MoJ – which oversees courts, prisons, probation, and victim services.

The system is ‘buckling’, they say.

Cases against violent and organised crime, child abuse and domestic violence too often ‘fall apart’ because courts are clogged, evidence is lost, or legal processes fail due to under-resourcing.

Victims are ‘left in limbo’ or are ‘denied justice altogether,’ the PCCs wrote.

“Justice doesn’t end when an offender is arrested,” they wrote. “It ends when a victim sees a resolution, and when rehabilitation or punishment has been delivered properly. Right now, that cycle is broken.”