ALL of Cheshire’s 122 ‘policing communities’ will soon have their own named police officer dedicated to tackling issues in each area.
The Cheshire police budget for 2020/21 will include funding for the neighbourhood officers as police numbers in the force area rise to their highest level since 2010.
The announcement has been made by Cheshire’s police and crime commissioner David Keane.
He says the move is thanks to the 43 additional frontline police officers, recruited as part of last year’s budget and an additional 90 officers funded by the government’s uplift programme, who will be in post by March next year.
The new neighbourhood officers will work alongside the PCSOs already dedicated to each policing community to develop strong links with local people and tackle emerging issues before they become more serious.
Each of the 122 communities has a base, in public buildings such as libraries and community centres, provide facilities for PCSOs and officers to hold regular surgeries or have confidential discussions with members of the public
Mr Keane said: “When I was elected, I made a commitment to putting more officers back where they belong - in the heart of our communities.
“The community base model, which I introduced in 2018, has seen each of the 122 police communities in Cheshire have its own accessible police base and PCSO and now they’ll each have a dedicated police constable.
“This has not been an easy promise to deliver with challenging financial circumstances and an increase in serious crime taking officers away from our neighbourhoods but I have fought for these neighbourhood officers as I know how important a visible policing presence is to the residents I represent.”
The policing precept – the element of council tax that pays for policing – will rise by an average of £10 per year, which is less than 20p per week, to help fund this year’s budget.
It follows a public consultation where two thirds of respondents agreed to an increase in the precept to invest in neighbourhood policing.
Mr Keane said: “This year’s precept consultation received the largest response we’ve ever had which is testament to local peoples’ passion and commitment to policing and community safety in Cheshire.
“When I was out talking to residents in our communities many of them told me that they wanted to see increased investment in policing to increase police officer visibility.
“While I believe that extra funding should come from the government, not the local taxpayer, I have listened to the chief constable and the public and increased the precept by a small amount to keep our communities safe.”
Funding from the budget will also be used to invest in Cheshire Constabulary’s force control centre to provide an improved service for callers to 999 or 101.
There will also be investment in ‘pro-active’ operations to tackle county lines drug activity and other serious and organised crime.
In his role to support victims, the commissioner has also set aside funding to further develop Cheshire’s integrated stalking unit and to provide increased funding to Cheshire’s Women’s Centres that support survivors of domestic abuse.