A new budget for policing has been agreed which is set to deliver more officers and PCSOs to increase public confidence, boost visibility of policing in neighbourhoods and improve the effectiveness of investigations.
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe says he also wants to use increased funding to deliver improvements to how the public contact the police, through better customer service, reduced waiting times on 101 and better access for face-to-face contact within communities.
The budget proposals will see total net funding for policing in the county increase to just over £125 million and were supported by the Warwickshire Police and Crime Panel on Monday (February 6).
Among the improvements included within the budget are:
- 10 extra officers deployed within local policing to improve police visibility across Warwickshire.
- 15 additional call handlers to be located in the main control room to improve the customer contact experience and reduce wait times.
- The provision of resolution centres where members of the public can speak face to face with officers and staff, with longer opening times over 7 days each week at Nuneaton, Leamington, Rugby and Stratford.
- Strengthened safer neighbourhood teams, with current Police Community Support Officer vacancies filled and police officer posts stabilised.
- Active recruitment of more Specials to increase the numbers available to support officers to improve visible policing in Warwickshire.
The new budget sets an increase to the Police Precept of 5.3%, which represents a 27 pence per week increase or £14 per year on an average Band D property. With around 60% of Warwickshire households in Bands A-C, the majority will pay proportionately less.
“I know that the public want to see continued improvement in the accessibility, visibility and quality of policing they receive. These are the key topics that people raise with me when I meet them and this is supported by the results of the consultation that I undertook to support the budget process. This also showed that the majority of people are prepared to pay extra for this, along as they see tangible benefits from it.
“I fully accept that many households are facing pressures on their own budgets at the moment and that any increases in the precept may be difficult. At the same time, policing is experiencing rising demand from a growing population and is also not immune to rising costs.
“While we have seen a welcome increase in Central Government funding this year, it alone will not provide the funding we need to protect our services. That’s why I’ve sought to bring forward efficiency savings worth around £1 million pounds, which have been achieved without putting jobs at risk and are a result of the better working practices our previous investments in state-of-the-art IT systems have enabled.
“These alone will not provide the full funding we need, however. Even to standstill, budgets must increase or we face the real prospect of having to reduce the service to the public, rather than improve it. I don’t think that is acceptable and it therefore leaves little alternative but to increase the Police Precept.
“I have been clear, however, that in doing so the public must be able to understand very clearly what they are getting for every penny extra they put in. This budget seeks to address their key concerns head on, so I am pleased to receive the support of the Police and Crime Panel.”
Police Precept Levels 2023/24
Following the approval of the budget, the Police Precept levels for 2023/24 will be:
| Band | Annual Charge |
|---|---|
| Band A | £184.47 |
| Band B | £215.22 |
| Band C | £245.96 |
| Band D | £276.71 |
| Band E | £338.20 |
| Band F | £399.69 |
| Band G | £461.18 |
| Band H | £553.42 |
What the budget pays for
The total net budget for 2023/24 is worth just over £125 million. It will fund:
- 10 extra officers deployed within local policing to improve police visibility across Warwickshire, helping to address communities’ concerns.
- 15 additional call handlers to be located in the main control room to improve the customer contact experience and reduce wait times.
- The provision of resolution centres where members of the public can speak face to face with officers and staff, with longer opening times over 7 days each week at Nuneaton, Leamington, Rugby and Stratford.
- Strengthened safer neighbourhood teams, where PCSO vacancies will be proactively recruited to, with the ambition of providing more settled teams.
- Active recruitment of more Specials to increase the numbers available to support officers to improve visible policing in Warwickshire.
- Implementation of a new geographically based policing model, which is more locally accountable, led by a Policing Area Commander (Chief Inspector), who has the autonomy to flex needs based on local demand. They will also provide a direct communication link to the communities they police.
- The introduction of a new patrol investigations team, that will be responsible for undertaking investigations on lower level crimes to deliver better outcomes for victims, and to address issues of police legitimacy and reaffirm the forces commitment to dealing with these high volume crimes. This will also enable the existing patrol teams to focus on responses to incidents.
- Improved services to victims, through three enhanced commissioned services for general victims; sexual abuse and violence; and child exploitation and two new commissioned services supporting the victims of modern slavery and human trafficking; and for restorative justice.
- Provide £1m of cashable savings, demonstrating the commitment to finding efficiencies and improving productivity to deliver value for money policing services to all our communities.
