Police budget set for Cheshire

The Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire has set the police budget which he says, “sees investment in policing and will lead to an increase in police officers on the streets of Cheshire”.

Commissioner Dwyer said: “An important part of my role as your Police & Crime Commissioner is to set the budget for policing in Cheshire. This is a decision that I do not take lightly. I need to fund the police to prevent and reduce crime, place victims at the centre of the services that the police deliver and protect the front line.  This has been a challenging budget to set following the announcement by Government about future police funding.  I have had to find £8 million savings to make sure that there is sufficient money to balance the books and achieve the aims in my Police & Crime Plan to create a truly victim centred service.

The root and branch review of the Constabulary that I instigated after my election, has allowed me to buck the trend this year as significant non-pay savings have been found. Work has been undertaken to make savings by changing the way contracts are negotiated, how frontline staff are supported by back office functions and in the way that the Constabulary is structured. These savings will help me meet the ongoing financial challenges set by the Government.  When I speak to the public, they say that they want to see more officers on the beat and I have been working with the Chief Constable to shape policing for the future.

My aim is to achieve a visible, agile and well equipped service to meet the increased challenges of policing Cheshire such as the increased threats of child sexual exploitation and cybercrime.

Chief Constable Simon Byrne

Chief Constable, Simon Byrne said, “I am grateful to the Police & Crime Commissioner and the people of Cheshire for supporting the budget which will enable me to implement my plans to change the way the Constabulary works to  improve neighbourhood policing. The development of a flexible and visible local police service, backed by a  professional support function which is centralised and efficient, will result in a greater focus on those things that matter most to the public  and support victims of crime”.

The highlights of the planned improvements are:

•           Stronger, more visible local beat patrols.

•           More resources into local response and crime investigation, upskilling more police officers in investigative techniques.

•           A stronger focus and greater resilience on key issues of concern, including child sexual exploitation, rape and domestic abuse and respond to the emerging threats of modern slavery and human trafficking.

•           A growth of 53 additional police officers recruited by March 2016, and 131 extra officers aligned to neighbourhoods by the same date.

•           Maintaining PCSOs to ensure that visibility and public engagement is maximised.

•           Support for victims based on ‘We’re Here’ principles − we, the police, come to you, at a time and location to suit.

•           New technology to support mobile working and a programme of flexible software and systems to reduce the need for officers to spend time in stations is a key theme in this strategy. A wide range of methods for the public to access the police (online, local contact points, partnership working, face to face) will be maintained and further developed, to ensure accessibility.

•           Importantly, capacity and flexibility will be maintained to respond to national threats of terrorism and cyber-crime. The crime recording function will be enhanced to ensure a high level of data quality.

Mr Dwyer added, “The budget I have set today will allow for additional investment in policing thanks to the support I have received from the public to increase the council tax for policing by £3 per year for an average Band D household.

Cheshire residents currently pay one of the lowest levels of council tax for policing in the country. The Home Secretary has given Police & Crime Commissioner’s the freedom to raise council tax by up to 2%. A 1.97% increase in the police part of the Council Tax means an increase of under 6p per week. This supports an enhanced local policing service to support the new policing model and put extra officers on the streets, something that the public tell me that they want to see”.