People in Beverley and Holderness want a decent police force. They want officers on the streets. They want antisocial behaviour dealt with. They want burglars caught and drug dealing tackled.
Humberside Police is widely recognised as one of the strongest performing forces in England and Wales, with high inspection ratings and recent figures show crime has fallen locally.
Graham believes that record must be protected, not put at risk.
Last week, in the House of Commons, Graham challenged Government reform plans and police funding arrangements that he believes could draw resources away from high performing forces such as Humberside.
Before the debate, on Thursday 5 February, Graham met the Chief Constable of Humberside Police to raise concerns brought to him by residents and to test how national changes could affect policing locally.
He raised ongoing antisocial behaviour at the Lidl car park in Beverley, burglaries, suspected drug and worsening HGV speeding in Leconfield reported by Linda Taylor of Community Speed Watch.
He also pressed for continued access to Beverley Police Station’s counter service after residents warned that removing in person access would disadvantage vulnerable and digitally excluded people. Following public engagement and Graham’s intervention, proposals affecting the station were placed on hold. There has been no further progression of plans to move or remove the service.
In Parliament, Graham warned that changes to how police forces are organised risks pulling resources toward larger metropolitan areas at the expense of rural and coastal communities.
He told the House: “I met the chief constable of Humberside last week… it is the leading force in the country and has the best results, so local people are concerned about a reorganisation that could be expensive and could draw resources away from a successful police system.”
He added: “The big cities and metropolitan areas have a way of pulling resources to them… something structural is required.”
Graham also questioned whether the Police Grant settlement will genuinely protect neighbourhood policing once pay pressures and rising costs are taken into account. National officer numbers have fallen over the past year and policing leaders have warned that pay pressures absorb much of the funding uplift.
He echoed concerns raised by Jonathan Evison following publication of the Policing White Paper, who stressed the need to preserve strong local accountability and neighbourhood presence.
Graham said: “Humberside Police is one of the best performing forces in the country. We should strengthen it, not weaken it.
“When residents raise antisocial behaviour, burglary or drug dealing with me, I take it directly to police leadership and I raise it in Parliament.
“I will support a strong local police force, and I will challenge national decisions that risk drawing officers away from our streets.
“People expect fair rules enforced fairly. That requires visible policing, and I will keep pressing for it.”
