Police posts to go down despite Council Tax rise

PROPOSALS to increase local tax in Essex to tackle deep budget cuts in policing have been approved – but officer posts will still be lost.

The rise equates to an extra £4.77 per year, just over a penny a day, for a Band D council tax payer. Overall it will bring in an additional £2.75 million in revenue.

Despite the rise, 34 officers will be lost over the next year.

Essex Police and Crime Commissioner Nick Alston proposed a one per cent increase to raise funds for crime prevention projects in local communities.

Essex Police has already seen the loss of 265 officers in the last three years, according to Home Office figures.

Mr Alston says the job losses were already included as part of Essex Police’s four-year plan to meet over £42m in budget cuts.

Members of the county’s Police and Crime Panel voted in favour of the increase at a meeting held on 31 January.

Mr Alston said the budget plan, which he inherited from the Police Authority, had also factored in a 2.5 per cent rise in its share of council tax.

The move coincides with the publication of the draft Police and Crime Plan for Essex which focuses heavily on community safety work and tackling the causes of crime.

It also proposes more joint-working with agencies, reducing domestic violence and youth offending, and improving road safety.

The amount of council tax which is currently paid towards policing services in Essex is the lowest in the country. Mr Alston said: “We need to spend more money on those really good causes that tackle crime in the first place.”