Move to increase policing precept

SOUTH Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has set out plans to increase the amount council taxpayers put towards policing in the area by 3.6 per cent.

By The Newsroom

Published 22nd Jan 2013, 06:00 BST

The proposal from Shaun Wright is the equivalent of adding £5 per year to the precept levied on a band D property taking the total to £142.55.

As part of the plan South Yorkshire Police will see its budget cut from £251.3m to £245.2m, including £3.4m of savings above those already expected to be made in the coming financial year.

Increasing the precept is expected to raise £1.6m which will be used to help fund the cost of recruiting new police officers to replace those who left the force in the current year.

The budget also includes money to replace 60 officers expected to leave in the next year with 50 recruited for neighbourhood  policing and a further 10 to be devoted to child protection duties.

The programme of savings will be reviewed half way through the year to see what impact they are having on the force.