Diana Johnson says Labour is ‘starting from a difficult position’, after Essex police say they could get rid of PCSOs

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Police forces in England and Wales are facing “difficult and challenging” circumstances, the policing minister has accepted, as some have been forced to cut their number of officers.

Diana Johnson said forces would need to make decisions locally on how many officers to have, days after Essex police said they could get rid of all 99 police community support officer roles within the force, pending consultation, amid a £12.5m budget shortfall for 2025-26.