Council tax precinct rise could pay for extra police officers

A 1.99 per cent proposed increase in the West Yorkshire Police precept could pay for more than 120 new officers.
Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire Mark Burns-Williamson.Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire Mark Burns-Williamson.
Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire Mark Burns-Williamson.

The proposal, which amounts to less than a penny a day on council tax bills, was agreed by the Police and Crime Panel, on Friday.

West Yorkshire Police will also recruit 70 new staff members according to Crime Commissioner Mark Burns Williamson.

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Mr Burns Williamson said the move would bolster the force after it had been hit by cuts to central government funding.

He said: “This proposal is essential to continue sustained recruitment of police officers and staff and to protect the level of police community support officers.

“It has been well documented that the force has had to find savings of £152 million by 2016/17, a 30 per cent reduction on the original budget.

“I have made personal representations to the Home Secretary and Policing Minister about government cuts hitting West Yorkshire harder, with added cuts for us because of money being diverted to other national policing bodies from my budget.

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“But I firmly believed my proposal to the panel and the public generally provides a sound footing in helping to safeguard the future of West Yorkshire Police.

“We can invest in community safety work with partners to meet shared outcomes, and equip the force to meet the challenges of dealing with high levels of demand in the face of falling numbers. I am not prepared to take a risk when it comes to protecting our police service over the coming years by accepting short term freezes on offer from government.

“It is a false economy that does not help the sustainability of West Yorkshire Police or meet the huge challenges ahead, clearly the panel also recognised that.”

Previously the force had a recruitment freeze in place and reduced the number of officers and staff by 2,000 to meet budget cuts.