£200k boost to fund more police officers - council

An extra £200,000 will be spent to fund more police officers to patrol the streets of Wakefield, the council has said.

The officers, along with two more council enforcement officers, would be paid for using cash allocated as part of the 2026-27 budget, according to the authority.

Wakefield Council said the money was part of its £4.3m District Investment Fund, which would also support families with school uniforms and childcare and help teenagers between16-18 to access training and education.

Councillor Daniel Wilton, cabinet member for communities, said: "We're determined to ensure our city and town centres are places where people want to visit, live, work and do business."

Wilton added: "We know that seeing more police on the streets is reassuring for people in our communities.

"Our ongoing work with the police on tackling anti-social behaviour has seen great success, and I'm pleased to say through this funding we can ensure this work continues, keeping our streets safer and more enjoyable for everyone."

The council said that through working with police and other partners on the Anti-Social Behaviour Taskforce, Wakefield had seen a significant reduction in crime in the city centre over recent months.

Ch Supt Stuart Bainbridge, Wakefield District Commander, said: "This funding will help us build on the great work we've already been doing across the Wakefield district, as a police force and as a partnership.

"We'll now be able to fill in the gaps and direct our patrols to where they're needed most, allowing us to form a targeted response across the entire district."

The council said recent success has been helped by the extension of the city centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in December.

During 2025, the authority successfully applied for 31 criminal behaviour orders and issued 154 fixed penalty notices for nuisance and anti-social behaviour in four PSPO areas across the district.

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