Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, is continuing to pile pressure on the Government to give the green light to start recruiting local officers as soon as possible.

In an open letter to Home Secretary, Priti Patel MP, the commissioner has made clear that with the government’s promised funds in place, Northumbria Police is ready to roll out a smooth recruitment process and training package which will put officers back on the streets, serving local communities.

However, she has requested clarity on how many new officers Northumbria will be allocated.

Miss McGuinness, said: “I’m going to keep putting the pressure on until funding is handed over allowing us to replace 1,100 police officers lost due to austerity.

“My message has been clear since day one. We’re geared up to go and want to see recruitment of local people.

“I’ve been out and about throughout the Force area and time and time again people are telling me they want more police serving our communities and less crime.

“This needs to be a long-term commitment too, not a short-term government announcement.

The commissioner added: “This is an urgent matter – how long do we have to play this waiting game? The sooner this request is facilitated and the funding materialises the better.”

Miss McGuinness visited Tynedale last week and said she understood the need for more funding to tackle crime in rural areas.