Norfolk PCC says growing demand is heaping pressure on the county's officers
Giles Orpen-Smellie is asking the public whether they should pay more towards the police's budget - as part of a 12 week consultation
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk is telling us growing demand is heaping pressure on the county's officers.
It comes as Giles Orpen-Smellie is asking the public whether they should pay more towards the police's budget - as part of a 12 week consultation.
"The Police are about as lean as they can be made"
He tells us the police are doing a good job: "We have the fastest 999 call answering times, we have the highest crime detection rate, we have the lowest burglary rate in the country...
"So they get a lot of stuff right. But sometimes things go wrong and I get that.
"The Police are about as lean as they can be made. So if we are going to make savings, we have got to look at activity and capability. As soon as we start saying, we are not going to do things, the public will be concerned and ask 'what are you going to stop doing'?"
"I'm not expecting a huge injections of cash"
He explained more about the force's workload: "Before the pandemic, we got between 200-250 999 calls in a 24 hour period. The only time we approached the 500 mark was on New Year's Eve.
"This year that figure has gone up to 600 and we have spiked on one or more occasion- beyond 700.
"What are the chances of getting more money from Government? Well, it'll be interesting to see what the Chancellor says in the Autumn statement...
"But I'm not expecting a huge injections of cash. I have written to the Policing Minister to set out my concerns about Police funding, but I'm not expecting the Government to turnaround and say here's a pot of gold."
What does this consultation involve?
The consultation will ask Norfolk residents two questions which are based on the six pillars outlined in the PCC’s Police, Crime and Community Safety Plan for Norfolk.
-The first asks residents to rank their priorities in order of importance.
-The second asks residents whether they would be prepared to pay more to ensure their police force
The consultation will run until 5pm on Friday 24 November.
You can find more informationhere.