Have Your Say on Police Funding In Cambridgeshire.
| As we plan our budget for policing Cambridgeshire and Peterborough for 2020/21, Acting Police and Crime Commissioner, Ray Bisby is keen to understand your views on funding our police service.
Last year you told us you wanted to see more officers out in your communities. Thanks to your support for an increase in the policing part of your council tax, we have seen police officer numbers reach record levels in Cambridgeshire. An additional 50 officers were recruited with the aim of increasing visible neighbourhood policing as well as supporting a partnership approach to crime prevention. Cambridgeshire is a safe county but police have to spend more time tackling the growing complexity of crimes such as domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation, modern day slavery and drug dealing known as ‘county lines’. The government previously announced funding for 20,000 new officers across the country, 62 of which will join the force over the coming year. Although the cost for these extra officers is being met by the government, the existing 1,500 officers in Cambridgeshire and the infrastructure that supports them still needs maintaining and developing, which will bring cost pressures, not least from inflation alone. In Cambridgeshire, police funding comes from two main sources: a central government grant (just over half) and the remainder from the policing part of council tax. Whilst the nationally funded additional officers are very welcome, there are some challenging realities that we face. Our police force remains one of the lowest funded forces in the country and with the county’s population set to grow by 20% by 2031, we need to make sure our police service meets the needs of our growing communities. The government will announce the amount by which the policing part of council tax can be raised in due course and the Commissioner will seek to follow that guidance. As an indication, a 2% increase on a Band D property would equate to 37p per month. A link to the survey can be found here: The survey runs from Wednesday 8th until Monday 27th January 2020. Many thanks |
| Message Sent By Catherine Kimberley (Police, OPCC Communications Officer, Cambridgeshire) |
