Support for new police budget

Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martin’s first budget has won the approval of the Police and Crime Panel.

However the budget also proposes an increase in its precept.

He will now start to put his plans into action, which include saving Bedfordshire’s PCSOs - 40 per cent of them having been at risk of being cut due to challenging financial times.

Mr Martins said: “Our PCSOs play an important role, both helping to reduce crime and the fear of it

“I know how much the public values the work they do and I have seen first-hand how well they do their job. It was one of my key pledges to do all I could to protect visible policing so I am very pleased to have been able to protect all 108 PCSO posts.”

Although Mr Martins says he is delighted to have his budget approved, he is disappointed that funding cuts have forced him into some difficult decisions, which include increasing the share the public pays towards policing by 2 per cent.

He added: “I do not relish increasing the policing element of the council tax, even by less than a penny a day for most householders, but it has enabled me to put some resilience in the budget to retain the PCSOs

“I am pleased that my budget was endorsed by the panel. Now we need to get the ball rolling to see the reductions in crime continue and ensure a safer county.”

The two per cent increase will generate an extra income of £560,000 for the force in 2013-14, which will be used to help maintain frontline policing.

Bedfordshire Police is faced with a funding gap of around £7million over the next three years due to the on-going cuts of the main policing grant provided by the Government.

This year’s budget has been set at £102.878million.