The big surprise in the settlement for the Home Office was the decision to protect spending on our police. This will enable the police to continue to make the changes necessary to meet the emerging crime threats. £500 million more will be put into the counter terrorism budget.
The budget of the National Crime Agency will also be protected as the Agency leads the fight to cut serious and organised crime.
Over the next few years almost one billion pounds will be invested in new mobile digital technology through the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme. This will enable officers to access police databases, take fingerprints and electronic witness statements and stream live video from body-worn cameras – all while on the move. Once in place the new network will save costs for the taxpayer whilst saving time for police officers. It will connect all emergency services on the same broadband network for the first time.
Overall, the cost of the Home Office will remain broadly stable over the Parliament from £10.3 billion this year to £10.6 by 2019-20.
David Nuttall 