£483m for Devon & Cornwall Police as Funding Boost Promised

The South West is set to see a rise in neighbourhood police officers, with police forces across the region receiving increased funding as part of a record £18.4 billion investment announced by the government.

The funding is aimed at cutting crime and increasing visible policing, with a focus on getting officers out into communities rather than behind desks.

Funding boost for South West forces

Every police force in England and Wales is due to receive a real terms increase in funding next year. In the South West, this includes:

• Up to £483.5 million for Devon & Cornwall Police, a cash increase of 4.2%

• Up to £459.5 million for Avon & Somerset Constabulary, a cash increase of 4.5%

• Up to £203.5 million for Dorset Police, a cash increase of 4.5%

• Up to £176.2 million for Gloucestershire Police, a cash increase of 4.1%

• Up to £180.1 million for Wiltshire Police, a cash increase of 5.0%

Across England and Wales, total police funding will rise by £796 million compared to last year, representing a 2.3% real terms increase.

Neighbourhood policing expansion

An additional £50 million has been allocated to support the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This is expected to place 13,000 neighbourhood policing personnel into roles by the end of the current parliament.

In April last year, the government pledged to move 3,000 officers into neighbourhood roles within 12 months. Nearly 2,400 additional neighbourhood officers were already in post in the six months up to the end of September 2025, marking a 14% increase since the end of March 2025.

Changes to how officers are deployed

From April, the Officer Maintenance Grant will be scrapped and replaced with a new Neighbourhood Policing Ringfence. The change is intended to ensure forces meet neighbourhood policing targets while giving them more flexibility over how they structure their workforce.

Since 2023, police forces have been required to maintain set officer headcounts through the Officer Maintenance Grant. This has resulted in some officers being placed in back office roles rather than frontline policing. Over the last six years, the number of trained officers in support roles has risen by more than 40% to over 12,600, while overall officer numbers increased by around 20%.

The government says ending the grant will allow forces to focus resources on community and high street policing, rather than meeting fixed staffing targets.

Home Secretary comments

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:

“Since taking office, this government has increased police funding by nearly £2 billion.

“We are restoring neighbourhood policing, with nearly 2,400 more neighbourhood officers in our communities.

“And we are now reforming policing, so local forces protect their communities, and national policing protects us all.”

Wider policing reforms

Earlier this week, the Home Secretary announced what the government described as the largest reforms to policing in two centuries. A £119 million investment in 2026 to 27 will support these changes, including the creation of a national centre for AI in policing, the rollout of live facial recognition, and improvements to data capabilities across the policing system.

The government says these measures are designed to support local forces while strengthening national policing capacity.