Piddington: Thames Valley Police boss calls for more funding for controversial asylum camp plan

Yesterday, PCC Matthew Barber announced he had written to the minister for Border Security and Asylum urging the Government to cover the policing costs associated with housing migrants at a military base in Piddington near Bicester.

Since the Ministry of Defence confirmed plans in June to reconfigure the disused barracks to house around 1,300 male asylum seekers, Commissioner Barber has been a consistent critic of the proposals.

This proposal has garnered significant national interest, given the UK’s strong political focus on immigration issues, and a slew of journalists visited the village of Piddington after its residents voted to leave the EU in a symbolic gesture last week.

Commissioner Barber said: “I am extremely concerned about the additional burden the Government's proposed asylum camp at MOD Bicester will have on local policing. “Any increase in population inevitably increases the likelihood of crime but even before the camp is occupied, there will be significant pressure on the force to safely manage protest activity at the site (which has already started). “The force has reviewed the numbers and, if planning permission was to be granted at the site, we estimate the additional cost to Thames Valley Police would be around £1.7 million per annum during the construction phase. “However, this is only the cash cost – there will also be a considerable impact on our workforce and effectiveness as officers and resources will, inevitably, have to be redeployed across the force to meet operational needs around the camp leading to less visible, proactive policing in other parts of the Thames Valley.”

Protests have already been held in Bicester alongside small counter protests in the area since the proposals were made public in the summer. This past weekend the village was anticipating the arrival of the far-right protester, Danny Tommo, whose masked protests in Portsmouth sparked concern earlier this month.

Commissioner Barber’s office revealed that Thames Valley Police can apply for some additional funding but due to Home Office policy it will not cover all of the costs required to maintain order.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, defended the project and said, despite the protests, the Government was not reconsidering its proposals.

Previously the Home Office confirmed the site’s would be managed by a specialist and experienced provider of security services permanently on site 24/7.

In his letter the police boss, does however also highlight other costs that people living in Thames Valley already pay for via their taxes. He said that official state visits are not covered by Government departments, despite the additional strain they put on policing resources.

Mr Barber’s calculations are broken down into different categories with the commissioner claiming the force needs additional resources for neighbourhood policing, as well as for protests.

Overall, he claims that policing protests effectively would cost a total of £1.2m. He also said the redeployment of current resources within the police force would mean other communities suffered.

Commissioner Barber wrote: “It is not acceptable for my residents to feel they are receiving a worse service from the police in other parts of Thames Valley, because of increased demand to deal with protests and crime at or around the asylum camp.”