Plans to redirect almost a quarter-of-a-million pounds from the Health Department’s budget to the States of Jersey Police have been praised as a “positive step” towards addressing pressures facing the force.
The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel has lodged an amendment to the Government’s proposed Budget which would see £240,000 redirected to tackle “significant cost pressures” facing the police.
If approved, £47,000 of this funding would restore the Digital Forensics Unit budget, while £193,000 would fund three officers for the depleted Community Policing Team.
Jersey Police Authority chair Simon Harman welcomed the plans as a “positive step towards addressing the pressures which have been highlighted”.
“I very much look forward to seeing the final budget once it has passed through the appropriate process and been finalised,” he added.
It comes just weeks after Mr Harman called for an “urgent” review of the government’s proposed 2026 Budget, which he said would leave the force with “insufficient” funding to meet modern policing demands.
He explained that staff wages make up £28.5 million – about 91% of total spending – for the force, leaving little room in the budget to handle rising costs, new pressures, or future investments.
With funding staying flat, the police “will face a real-terms decline in available resources over the next four years”, he warned.
Mr Harman said that the officers are operating in an “increasingly complex environment”, dealing with “more vulnerable individuals, more technologically sophisticated criminal activity, and more statutory and partnership responsibilities than at any previous point”.
He explained: “The combined effect of these pressures is that the States of Jersey Police is being asked to meet rising public expectations with diminishing real-terms funding.
“This poses risks to response times, to safeguarding outcomes, and to the morale and wellbeing of officers and staff.”
Mr Harman warned that the force’s ability to meet its priorities would be “seriously compromised if the current funding trajectory continues”.
He said that the “current financial envelope” is “insufficient” to meet the demands on the force, and called for a “comprehensive review” of police funding.
“This review should also examine the sustainability of staffing levels, particularly in specialist areas such as safeguarding, digital forensics and investigation,” Mr Harman added.
The amendment will be debated as part of the Budget next month.