Boris Johnson pledges 20,000 more police if he becomes PM

Boris Johnson the front runner of the Tory leadership contest has pledged to boost police numbers by 20,000 within three years, and to more than 140,000 officers by mid-2022, if becomes prime minister.

Johnson said the £1.1bn move will be focused on rural areas as they have seen the largest funding reductions.

Johnson visited the Thames Valley Police training center on Wednesday, he said, “What we are saying is that we are going to use some of the existing headroom, quite a small amount, about £1.1bn, to put more police officers out on the street and I think that is what the public want.”