Government told to pay for extra asylum site policing

The extra policing costs of a plan to house more than a thousand asylum seekers on Ministry of Defence (MoD) land should be covered by the government, a police boss has said.

Earlier this year, the Home Office announced a proposal to accommodate 1,256 men at MoD Bicester, which it said would bring the system "back under control".

Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matthew Barber said if the plan were approved the government should foot bill for additional policing required around the site.

The Home Office said it was "working to fairly house asylum seekers," and was engaging with local police forces to ensure the safety and security of those in the surrounding area".

In a letter to the the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Anna Turley, Barber said he was "extremely concerned" by the "additional burden" the proposed site would have on local policing.

"Any increase in population inevitably increases the likelihood of crime," he said.

"But even before the camp is occupied, there will be significant pressure on the force to safely manage protest activity at the site (which has already started)."

The Home Office proposals for MoD Bicester make up part of a Labour pledge to stop housing asylum seekers in hotel.

An initially unplanned public consultation on the Bicester plans concluded last week.

It came 21 years after the then-Labour government abandoned plans for an asylum seekers' accommodation centre on the same site.

The plans have proved contentious, with villagers in nearby Piddington voting overwhelmingly last week to leave the UK in a symbolic referendum.

In his letter on Tuesday, Barber said that were the plans to go ahead, they could cost Thames Valley Police £1.7m each year.

The force could apply for some financial support from the government, but it cannot recoup the full costs associated with the creation of asylum accommodation sites, his office said.

"Local taxpayers are already being asked to make up funding shortfalls in several areas of policing," Barber said.

"They should not be expected to bear further costs associated with policing protests and managing the substantial population increase that would result from this proposal."

In a statement, the Home Office said it was "closing every asylum hotel, saving taxpayers over £1bn on asylum support since the election".

It added: "We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites which are designed to be self-contained to reduce impact on the local community.

"As part of the process, we engage with local authorities and police forces to ensure the safety and security of those in the surrounding area."