£285m for war against crime

The Budget boost could mean extra bobbies on the beat

Gordon Brown set aside an extra £285m in the Budget for the fight against crime.

The cash will be split between recruitment of new police officers, investments in crime-fighting technology and spending on capital projects in the police, prison, court and probation services.

Exact details of how the cash will be shared out will not be known until they are spelt out by Home Secretary Jack Straw in a statement to the Commons in the next few days.

Funding could help cut crimes

However it is known that £100m has been reserved for modernisation of police forces across the country and moves to recruit and retain good officers.

And more bobbies could soon be pounding the beat as Chief Constables bid for money under the recently-launched Crime Fighting Fund to boost manpower.

The Association of Chief Police Officers welcomed the extra funding.

A spokesman said: "We welcome this announcement and hope that it not only provides technology and services in terms of additional equipment, but also helps put more officers back on the beat."

A spokeswoman for the Police Federation also welcomed the announcement, adding: "We are reserving any additional comment until we hear more precise details of how the money is to be spent."

Jack Straw will announce details soon

Money will also be spent on boosting existing modernisation investments in the police, such as the upgrading of radio systems and the extension of DNA-testing technology to track down criminals using their genetic fingerprints.

The remaining £185m is to be spent on capital projects across the various criminal justice agencies, such as new buildings or computer systems.