Peterborough residents are asked for views on proposed increase to council tax

Police and Crime Commissioner, Darryl Preston is asking residents to give their views on his proposed increase of £10 per year, based on a Band D property, to the policing part of council tax.

The increase from last year funded additional call handlers to improve 999 and 101 services, as well as a 24/7 social media desk to respond to online communication from the public. 
Darryl Preston said: “As Police and Crime Commissioner, it’s my job to set the budget for the Constabulary - part of that is about determining how much people contribute through their council tax.

“The public’s views are important to me, therefore in order to enable people living and working in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to tell me what matters to them when it comes to policing and crime, I am launching an online survey.

“I appreciate that 2021 has been an exceptionally challenging year for all of us. Throughout the last twelve months, our police officers, volunteers and staff have worked tirelessly alongside our other emergency service workers to help keep people safe, whilst responding to the usual calls for service.

“I recently launched my Police and Crime Plan for the county which responded to feedback from the public and sets policing objectives for the next three years. My Plan includes five key priorities including providing a more accessible Constabulary that responds to local issues such as rural and business crime, anti-social behaviour, drug related crimes and road safety.”

Residents contributed to policing through their council tax last year, an extra £15 per year, based on a Band D property.

The Chief Constable was invested in Early Intervention Domestic Abuse Desks with dedicated staff, who provided safeguarding advice to officers at the scene of domestic incidents.

A new Inclusion Officer who is helping to build support and enhance trust in the force across all communities;

Digital Media Investigators within a newly created Cyber Crime Team to support frontline investigators and provide more support for victims;

Four Cyber and On-Line Fraud Prevention Officers to help reduce cybercrime and online fraud through awareness-raising and other initiatives.

56 percent of police funding comes from central government (excluding specific grants) and the remainder from the policing part of council tax. . 
Darryl Preston said: “Whilst I recognise that household costs are rising across the board, it is unfortunately no different for policing. Inflation and national insurance increases mean that there are considerable pressures on the Constabulary budget, despite savings of £5.1 million having been achieved in 2021/22.

“As we plan the police budget for 2022/23, it is vital that we are able to meet rising costs and ensure the growth in new officers can be sustained so that the Constabulary’s commitment to supporting our communities, which includes local policing, is maintained.

“In line with government guidance, I am therefore asking for people’s views on my proposed increase of £10 per year (83p per month based on a Band D property). This, together with an increase of £4.8m from government (excluding specific grants), would enable the Chief Constable to further maintain, invest and support in three core areas:

National Uplift Programme (Recruitment of 20,000 additional officers)

Recruitment and training of an additional 82 officers for 2022/23

Support for our police officers in more areas such as HR, ICT, and professional standards.

Support within occupational health, the recruitment team, operational training, resource management and call taking.

Digital Investigative Support - to provide expert digital evidence and support against those who blight our communities through county lines, serious and organised crime, drug supply and those who exploit the online space to cause serious harm.

Additional cyber investigators,

Young person early intervention officers

Violence against Women and Girls – increased investment in resources, such as a vulnerability analyst to identify and support the Constabulary to tackle those who perpetrate violence in our communities. We want to ensure people feel safe on our streets.

Digital Innovation – following the Government’s announcement that funding is being provided to increase productivity using enhanced technology and investigative tools, we will further invest in Digital Innovation to enable such opportunities to be identified and realised.”

The survey can be found here and will run from January 6 to January 20, 2022.