Hampshire taxpayers face £15-a-year council tax bill increase for extra police

Members of the public are being asked if they would pay, on average, £15 a year extra in the police share of council tax to support ‘early recruitment’ of 50 police officers.

It comes as Hampshire police and crime commissioner Michael Lane is due to set Hampshire Constabulary’s budget this month.

His website said chief constable Olivia Pinkney has made a ‘compelling operational case’ for an increase in council tax.

A more than seven per cent rise would help police ‘take the fight to criminals and to start to reduce crime’.

An increase last year boosted 999 and 101 response times, the commissioner's statement said, and helped recruit 94 officers more quickly - on top of the 156 recruited as part of the government’s uplift plan.

Government said funding for Hampshire is set to increase by £21m in 2021/22, bringing funding up to £387m for the year. However, this includes any increase levied locally through council tax.

The statement added: ‘Your support of the policing precept of the council tax last year also led to many new initiatives.

‘Doing more of this in future years will help to keep communities safer but requires sustained investment and an increase in the policing precept of the council tax.’

Extra cash now would help the 'early recruitment of 50 new police officers'. The commissioner's office did not say if this was an increase in overall officer numbers, or replacing those who retired or left.

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Cash will be poured into prevention work. The statement added: ‘This frees up capacity to investigate other crimes, including in areas such as burglary and volume crime, which you have told me is important.’

The statement said innovation will also be funded, and added: ‘In the last year, innovation has played a huge part in getting justice for murder victims such as Lucy McHugh and Louise Smith.

‘If Hampshire Constabulary can increase its forensic capability yet further (to keep pace with modern technology), they can get the evidence to bring more offenders to justice and stop reoffending.’

Take part in the survey at hampshire-pcc.gov.uk/transparency/money/council-tax

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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