Police and Crime Commissioner John Dwyer
POLICE chief John Dwyer warned he may have to make further cuts to the police budget of between £8-9 million during a public “Working Together” meeting in Warrington.
Cheshire’s Police and Crime Commisioner said austerity measures had resulted in cuts of around £8-9 million each year during the past three years of his tenure – and he wouldn’t be surprised if he had to do the same again at the next budget review – with austerity expected to remain for another two to three years.
“This is a big business,” he told the meeting at the Gateway – with an annual budget of £190 million. He stressed the cuts wouldn’t affect front line services and he believed there was “still some fat in the service” which could be trimmed.
“While it can bite having to make cuts it also helps focus and can result in efficiency improvements,” he said
Mr Dwyer was speaking at the special Working Together meeting with Cheshire′s Chief Constable Simon Byrne and Warrington’s local Policing Unit Commander Chief Inspector Peter Shaw, who invited members of the public to tell them what they want from the police in the next in a series of engagement events across the county.
The Force′s ‘Working Together′ events are taking place in colleges, universities and venues across nine of the county′s biggest towns – of which Warrington is the biggest.
The idea is to allow the community to speak to neighbourhood officers to discuss localised crime and disorder issues, ideas and priorities, as well as receiving crime prevention advice and information.
It is hoped that by working together, the police and the public can improve the service the Force provides, and ensure it is meeting the needs of the communities it serves.
Members of the audience were also be asked to vote on policing priorities for their area.
Mr Dwyer said his vision was to make Cheshire an even safter place to live and as inhospitable as possible for the small minority responsible for crime.
He added: “I am dedicated to bringing the communities of Cheshire and the police closer together. These consultation events will allow the public to ask questions of me and of the Chief Constable and influence the policing priorities in their area.”
The priorities the public could vote on were:
*Alcohol related disorder associated with licensed premises; with particular focus on Warrington Town Centre
*Youth anti-social behaviour at shops and parks
*The use and supply of drugs (including legal highs)
* Off road motorbikes and road related anti-social behaviour issues in communities
* Burglary of homes and theft from vehicles
* Commercial burglaries and theft from shops
Chief Inspector Shaw said he was “relishing the challenge of working in the new structure, which involves officers reporting centrally each day.
He admitted that some officers didn’t like the changes, but their shift and welfare requirements were being taken into consideration during the transition.
He said a pilot project in Ellesmere Port and Neston had proved highly successful during a 12 month period.
Chief Inspector Peter Shaw
