LOCAL residents are being given the opportunity to quiz the Police & Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable on the police budget and give their views on the police precept – the part of council tax that goes towards Cheshire Constabulary.
The survey is available at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/yourpolicebudget2022-23
To ensure people are informed and get the chance to have their say safely, four online ‘Commissioner and Chief Constable’s Question Time’ events will be held for residents of each of Cheshire’s four Boroughs.
People in Warrington are invited to put their questions to the Commissioner and Chief Constable on Wednesday 12 January from 7 – 8:30pm. You can register for the event by sending an email to [email protected] with your name, postcode and question by 11:59pm on Tuesday 11 January.
John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: “I want to make sure I get the views of as many people as possible in setting the police budget for the coming year and I encourage people to register for their local online question time.
“It’s vital that the budget reflects people’s priorities, and in addition to the over 18,000 pieces of feedback I received in my Autumn Survey last year I want to hear from people about what they expect their police service to deliver through this budget.”
The budget proposed by the Commissioner will put 120 more officers on Cheshire’s streets, increasing visible policing and taking the Constabulary closer to the Commissioner and Chief Constable’s goal to have the highest establishment of officers in Cheshire in modern times – 2,345. It will also put 63 more frontline staff in departments like the Force Control Centre, where there will be more call handlers in order to reduce response times.
There will also be an increased focus on tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) that can often make people feel unsafe in their community, and further action on making the county’s roads safer.
To support this investment, the Commissioner is asking local people if they would be willing to pay approximately 83p per month extra via the police precept, for the average band D household.
Mr Dwyer added: “In developing this budget I have taken on board all the feedback people have given me since returning to office in May, in addition to the preliminary results of my Autumn Survey.
“People say they want a more visible and contactable police service that tackles the everyday issues affecting their community. Through increasing our officer and call handler numbers, and with a greater focus on ASB and road safety, I believe we can achieve that.”
Mark Roberts, Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary, said: “It’s important that we listen to the views of our residents to ensure our policing plan continues to meet the needs of communities across the county.
“The new plan will put more officers on the streets, increase our number of call handlers taking 999 calls and focus on antisocial behaviour and road safety – which will help meet our key aims of keeping Cheshire safe and ensuring criminals know they are not welcome here.
“I would encourage as many people as possible across Cheshire to complete the survey and join the online Question Time events to give their views and feedback on the plans.”
The survey will close at midday on Tuesday 25 January. To take the Commissioner’s survey online, go to www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/yourpolicebudget2022-23
To request a hard copy of the survey, please email [email protected]
