Kent Police are among 18 forces to get a share of £41.5 million to tackle violent crime.

Home Secretary Priti Patel announced it in a speech yesterday - two weeks after the force was told to cut £9 million from its annual budget.

She said: "Crime will not go away overnight, so we are making a long-term investment in our exceptional police.

"I'm pleased to announce an additional £41.5 million surge funding to help 18 forces drive down the scale of the violent crime we are seeing in our streets."

She was speaking at the Association of Police and Crime Commisioners and National Police Chiefs' Council Partnership Summit 2020.

She said: "Our mission is clear - to deliver on the people’s priorities: to cut crime and deliver the safer streets the public want."

She said that while most people were never exposed to terrorist and murderers their lives could be blighted by more common crime.

She explained: "That is crime that is across our communities and on our streets.

"The burglaries, shoplifting and muggings that impact on daily life.

"It puts people’s homes and peoples businesses at risk, and under attack.

"And that causes huge harm, distress and disruption to towns and communities.

"And it is a fact that over time officers have become over-stretched. People no longer saw police on the streets, or responding to the offences affecting them.

"In 2018/19 only 16% said that bobbies on the beat were highly visible in their area – less than half the figure in 2009/10.

"Almost half said they had never seen a foot patrol in their area. "

She acknowledged that earlier this month HMICFRS (Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services) said that the proportion of offences resulting in a charge in 2018/19 was under 8%.

That is almost half the 2014/15 total.

She added: "HM Inspector Matt Parr recently warned that people had 'rumbled' the failure of the police to investigate mass crimes like car thefts, assaults and burglaries.

"You don’t need me to tell you – these are the very crimes that blight peoples lives and blight our communities.

"So it is important that we all now work together to turn a page and we work together to beat that kind of crime across all communities.

"And by working together we can tackle the low level offenders before they graduate to carrying knives and weapons and participating in serious crimes."

Ms Patel also praised the work of front line officers up and down the country:

"It is so extraordinary, whether it is in Liverpool, North Wales, the Midlands, Essex, Kent, London – whichever part of the country I have been to just to see the sheer dedication and the commitment of our officers to go after those who seek to do harm."

The remaining 17 forces getting the £41.5 million are Sussex, Essex, Metropolitan Police, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Northumbria, Thames Valley, Lancashire, Avon & Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Hampshire and South Wales.

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