Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer, has launched his budget survey today (Tuesday, 4th January).
Residents are being asked to give their views on proposals to increase the police precept – the part of council tax that goes towards Cheshire Constabulary by 4.4% for the next financial year 2022/23.
A budget has been produced which includes recruiting an extra 120 officers alongside 63 more front line staff in areas like the call centre, as well as schemes to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB), and road safety initiatives.
John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: "I believe this budget represents what residents of Cheshire have told me they want. More officers, better call response times, and an increased focus on tackling ASB and making our roads safer.
"This budget will build on the work done since I took office in May, where nearly £4 million in extra funding has been brought in to prevent and tackle crime in our county, and in that time the Chief Constable and I have also been able to commit to taking our officer numbers to the highest level in modern times – 2,345. This should give people confidence in our Constabulary to deliver the priorities set out in my Police and Crime Plan."
In order to support this investment, the Commissioner is asking local people if they would be willing to pay approximately 83p per month extra via the police precept, for the average band D household.
John Dwyer added: "We are benefiting from increased funding from central government and the national Police Officer Uplift programme, however in my Autumn Survey I was up front with people – I said a small precept rise would be necessary in order to keep the police at a standstill – And over 85% of people who expressed a view said they were happy to pay more above this in order for the Constabulary to have more resources.
"The most popular option by some way was an increase in the police precept of 20p per week above standstill – Equivalent to £1.04 per month - However I am ultimately asking residents for less than this.
"This is because I am extremely conscious of the cost of living, and the fact that residents gave a diverse range of views. I am also aware that asking for support to raise the precept even further would require me to hold a referendum, which I do not believe would be a valuable use of people's hard-earned money."
In addition to the online survey, the Commissioner will be holding a series of 'Consultation Roadshow' events around the county throughout January where people can speak to him directly and take the survey in person.
The online 'Commissioner and Chief Constable's Question Time' event for residents of Cheshire East will be held on Monday 10th January from 7 – 8:30pm.
To register for the local online event, send your name, question and postcode to [email protected] by 11:59pm the day before the event.
John Dwyer added: "I want to hear from as many people as possible, which is why I'm committed to getting out there to let people know how their police service will deliver on their priorities.
"Put simply: This budget will enable me and the Chief Constable to put more police on the streets and invest in the areas that matter to you. I encourage everyone to have their say."
To take the Commissioner's survey online, go to www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/yourpolicebudget2022-23 and complete it by midday on Tuesday 25th January.
To request a hard copy of the survey, email [email protected]
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
No, you should have frozen last years's precept rise I will fill in the survey which is thoroughly dodgy as it is open to widespread abuse an I shall fill in the No option there for what it's worth.
At the same time we see less Police Officers on the street, lower detection rates and an alarming increase in robberies and burglary - see todays headlines.
John Dwyers comment that he believes that this budget is "What Cheshire residents want" is baffling. I would have expected this sort of duplicity from David Keane but if this is how John Dwyer "reads the room" I would suggest that next time he asks for it in braille.
Whilst I would not expect the Police to send out postal surveys borough wide(I did not suggest that) I implied an Email to all council tax payers in the borough would be free with a link to the survey (a rare few do not supply email details so it would only be a fraction of mailed surveys for fairness). The current survey as it stands is useless and can be filled in multiple times anywhere in the world from anyone and does not reflect true feelings of Council Tax payers. Most people commenting here are fed up with the annual above inflation yearly precept rises. Getting rid of the PCC would be the start of savings...Dwyer is merely continuing in Keane's footsteps. He will get his precept rise waved through because on the back of a dodgy survey he will say that is what the Council tax payers demand. It is bunkum
If Marcus Holt wants to take at this link to Lisa's impeccable sister site for Wilmsow. You can see no support for this precept rise. I also had commented last month on the Wilmslow forum (I had forgotten). It is there that I made my email suggestion. No one is happy with the dodgy survey it would seem...(Survey Monkey is an appropriate name as it is monkey practice)
"We need MORE/BETTER police' often seems to be the message.
Suppose we had the possibility of as many policepersons [PP] as we would like. So many in fact that it would be possible to have a PP on every street corner 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This saturated PP presence would make the job of being a criminal much more difficult and help catch any who think of applying their 'profession'. The regular burglaries that are often mentioned in the likes of this forum might become a thing of the past.
I don't think there could be too much objection to that but it would of course be massively expensive and totally absurd. The job of being a PP would be pretty unattractive too.
Suppose instead of a PP at every street corner, we implemented technology and had a CCTV not just on every street corner but also on top of every lamppost, most buildings and included as manufacturers standard equipment in every vehicle. All recordings would be fed automatically into a ‘Big Brother’ database tagged with time & location. There would then be a wealth of recorded data from all over the place. Whenever a 'crime' was reported the Police [or whoever is responsible for dealing with the 'incident'] could refer to the stored data with a location and time when the incident occurred and gather an assortment of information that could lead to a timely arrest and satisfactory solution. Much better, quicker and more reliable than asking the public if anyone, just by chance, happens to have any recordings on their phones, car cameras or house CCTV systems - which now include doorbells!
Such widespread ‘Big Brother’ CCTV surveillance will I am sure create widespread denunciation from the ‘freedom’ fighters, data protection advocates, privacy intrusion protectors and who knows even the ‘anti-vaccination brigade’.
So how then are we going to balance the request for more PP’s but don’t want to pay for them despite living in an absurdly wealthy area of the UK and at the same time speak out against any possible intrusion into our freedom/liberty/privacy etc. [call it what you like]?
Extra Council Tax higher bands for the increase in luxury gin palaces that are springing up over town - or perhaps a local Income Tax? Will anyone replying against either of these solutions please state your income and value of the house(s) that you have in your possession. There’s another general principle that seems to be lost in the current financial mess that is the UK plc. - and is simply that if money needs to be raised for any public purse it CANNOT be ‘got’ from those who don’t have any.
Otherwise answers please on a postcard - but not to me!
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/general-public-should-not-have-to-pay-for-101-non-emergency-calls-from-tomorrow
In respect of tax payers not wanting the precept increase then they all have the chance to complete the form, regardless of how robust people think it may or may not be, it works both ways, or are you suggesting the pcc will ignore any negative outcome? Equally he could have just plowed ahead without any consultation. The PCC role is here to stay currently and is an elected position so we all had the chance to select who we wanted, instead of demanding the removal of the role or the person we need to try and work with it whilst it's here.
Remove the office of the PCC and use the money saved for bolstering front-line services.
For once I can agree with you. The office of the PCC is a complete and utter waste of public money. If I understand correctly, it was the brainchild of David Cameron and backed by the Liberal Democrats when we had a coalition government.
#Tony Haluradivth
For as Long as I used it, the help desk at Wilmslow Police Station was not "maned" by "police officers" but by civilian staff.
Not only must they still be in training but we have also been sold the same sketch by Keane. In any other walk of life surely this is fraud.
David McNeilage joined the department in June on a salary of £38k and has just had his salary increased to £51k.
Dwyer states that he has made the award because he is satisfied with his deputies work.
We are being taken for fools people - it’s up to you to register your thoughts on the link provided or else turn up your toes and let them tickle your tummy!