POLICE budget cuts have been slammed by Labour in the wake of rising crime figures.
As revealed by the County Press last week, violent crime, domestic violence, hate crime and serious sexual offences have all increased on the Isle of Wight.
The Isle of Wight Labour Party's parliamentary spokesman, Julian Critchley, said he was 'appalled' police funding was facing further cuts.
Earlier this year, it was revealed Hampshire Constabulary had already cut its budget by £80 million since 2010.
The force is facing a further £23 million shortfall by 2021.
Ryde Town Cllr Critchley said: "Given the recent crime statistics, I am appalled local police budgets are to be cut by £23 million. I know the police will do their best to maintain services as well as they can, but quite clearly the cuts are in danger of exacerbating an already rising trend in crime.
"The first duty of any government is to keep its citizens safe. That is why Labour pledged to put another 10,000 officers on the streets. But the Conservatives are doing the reverse.
"Indeed it's a double whammy — by continuing to push their policies of creating a low wage, high insecurity economy, they create the conditions in which crime festers, then they cut police budgets to make it harder for our officers to protect our communities from that crime.
"I'm angry we have a government paralysed in every other way, with failing Brexit negotiations, ministerial incompetence and scandals. Yet somehow the cuts to our public services go on, day after day. This is rank incompetence from a chaotic and sleazy government. A new election cannot come soon enough."