Council tax increase approved to boost Hampshire & IOW police numbers
The policing precept of the council tax will increase by ÂŁ15 per year
Last updated 30th Jan 2021
Plans for a tax hike aimed at funding more police officers and fighting crime in Hampshire have been given the green light.
The policing precept of the council tax will increase by ÂŁ15 per annum, raising an additional ÂŁ10m for Hampshire Constabulary in 2021/22.
This means that the Band D council tax precept for the force will rise from ÂŁ211.46 to ÂŁ226.46.
The proposals were approved by the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel on Friday 29th.
County bosses raised concerns over the impact the rise will have on residents.
But they also acknowledged the need for more support for the police.
During the meeting, Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney said the tax rise will help fund 146 additional police officers set to be deployed across Hampshire and seven new officers in the Regional Organised Crime Unit.
The money will also help potentially investigate 26,000 more crimes, arrest an extra 300 “of the most dangerous organised criminals” who run county lines drug crime and prevent about 1,000 crimes.
“This budget is essential and enables us to do more operational policing. It means we can do even more to tackle drug related crime”, said Chief Constable Pinkney.
The money will also be used for investment in police buildings and technology.
These will include investment in the police building in Bitterne in Southampton and in Netley.
As reported, Hampshire residents were previously asked to have their say on the increase.
Speaking at the meeting, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Michael Lane said:
“It is very clear to me that our public are seeking more. The significant majority of those who answered the survey declared that they understand the agreement we are making and they were willing to help us.”
Cllr Dave Shields, cabinet member for stronger communities at Southampton City Council, said the authority will continue to work with the police to ensure police officers are deployed as soon as possible.
He added: “Expectations were raised previously about numbers and the reality is it takes time to recruit, train and deploy and I think there’s some sense of frustration in some people that they have not seen the benefits yet from the additional investment and I am very much hoping that we will start to see more of that.”
The panel pledged to continue to monitor the investments over the coming months.