Council Tax Rise Will Mean 100 More Police Officers on the Beat

Published on: 29 Jan, 2019
Updated on: 29 Jan, 2019

By Rebecca Curley

local democracy reporter

One hundred extra police and community support officers will be pounding the beat across Surrey if the crime chief’s 10.14% increase in council tax precept is accepted.

The rise, which equates to £24 for a Band D property, will also mean more resources for police to target drug dealers, keep the current amount of CCTV in the county and meet “additional demands” in tackling domestic abuse, sex offences and child sexual exploitation.

David Munro

Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Munro says the increase in the precept, which will generate an extra £12.8 million, is a “balance between protecting the taxpayer and providing Surrey Police with the resources to do their job”.

It means a Band D property will rise from £236.57 to £260.57 a year.

His recommendation will be considered by members of the Surrey Police and Crime Panel next week.

The £24 increase is the maximum a PCC is allowed to impose without having to hold a referendum.

During a four-week consultation about the rise, 3,700 residents responded with 75% supporting the proposal and 25% against it, according to a report to go to the panel.

Mr Munro writes in the report: “My precept proposal, if approved, will provide the funding to support the strategic objectives of the Police and Crime Plan and make a step change in the broader force mission of pursuing offenders, protecting the vulnerable and preventing crime and disorder, as well as supporting and enabling our police officers and staff to be best they can be, by building our workforce capability, by valuing our people and enhancing the employment proposition.”

The extra police officers and PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) will include 75 newly-created posts and the protection of 25 roles that would have been cut from the 2019/20 budget.

At the start of this financial year, there were 1,952 officers on the payroll.

The total budget funding for Surrey Police will rise by £20.5m to £235.1m due to an increase in police pension contributions, borrowing for the Building the Future Project, motor insurance premium and the contribution the office needs to make to the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Money will also be spent in the next financial year to implement a joint programme with Thames Valley and Sussex Police Forces, an online service for residents to access police services and to investigate historic cases.

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) Budget for 2019/20 will increase by 4% to £2,117,933.

One change to the budget includes how victim support services will be funded as the contract with Victim Support Charity ends on March 31 and will be provided in-house by Surrey Police.

The budget and council tax precept will be recommended for the panel to agree when it meets on Monday, February 4, at Surrey County Council County Hall.

Responses to Council Tax Rise Will Mean 100 More Police Officers on the Beat

Martin Elliott Reply

January 29, 2019 at 6:30 pm

Strange. PCC’s post on Facebook: “We had 5,868 responses, with 75.5% in favour of the PCC’s proposal which will now go before the Police & Crime Panel.

“We are also reviewing over 4,000 comments that were submitted by the public.”

Are the spin doctors still at work? Most people think a 10% hike is obscene, but if it’s only £2 a month…

Then there is the lack of discussion or disclosure of the true grant from the government (not just the Home Office). After years of no increase or even cuts, they are increasing their contribution. The PCC won’t say how much, but it is probably less than 1.5%.

In real terms, allowing for inflation, the budget has dropped >15%, padded a bit by the residents giving 6% last year now 10%.

Yes, the police need proper funding, but shouldn’t the government contribute as well?
Bernard Parke Reply

January 29, 2019 at 8:03 pm

Our police are here to serve everyone.

However, it only the hard-pressed council tax payer who will pick up the tab.
Mary Bedforth Reply

January 31, 2019 at 7:06 pm

Q. Who cut the police numbers in the first place?

A. “The simple numbers tell the story. In 2010 May as Home Secretary made the mistake that Margaret Thatcher never made in the 1980s and agreed to a Treasury demand to cut police budgets by 18%.

“Over the next five years, the number of police officers in England and Wales fell from a peak of 144,353 in 2009 to 122,859 in 2016. At the same time, the number of specialist armed police officers has fallen from a peak of 6,796 in 2010 to 5,639 in 2016.”

Source: The Guardian.5.7.2017.

She had a hard time at the Police Federation Conference in Bournemouth.