Police and Crime Commissioner, Festus Akinbusoye, has today released the police precept survey for the financial year 2022/23.

The precept is what Bedfordshire residents pay to help cover the cost of policing, community safety and victim services through their annual council tax bill.

The Commissioner said “Part of being your Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire means that I am responsible for securing the annual budget for Bedfordshire Police. In 2021/22, the budget was made up of 61% from Government grant money and 39% from the police precept part of your council tax.

“I also determine the local policing priorities for the Chief Constable based on listening to what residents tell me. These priorities are set out in my Police and Crime Plan, and I hold the Chief to account, on your behalf, for their successful delivery. You can read my Police and Crime Plan here”.

The priorities in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan reflect residents’ views with the aim of putting people at the heart of policing.  In keeping with this aim, the Commissioner is asking local people what they think, via a survey, about changes to the budget.

He further commented “We are facing rising costs across the public sector because of inflation. This means that next year an increase in the precept will be needed just for Bedfordshire Police to maintain its current position and meet the costs of pay and price increases.

“I know that any increase next year for some people will be hard. I also know, because you have told me, that you want to see more officers in our communities and our rural areas, taking more criminals off the streets and protecting our towns and villages. To do this, as well as maintaining other services, we will need to increase the precept”.

Bedfordshire Police remains one of the lowest funded forces in the country. To see where they are compared to the average council tax for police forces (Band D), click here.

The Government has said that PCCs can raise the precept by up to £10 a year for an average (band D) home. A rise of just under three pence per day.   A rise of £10 a year for Bedfordshire residents would enable the Chief Constable to:

• – Recruit an extra 72 Police Officers so that we can take more criminals off the streets
  – Improve the way 999 and 101 calls are answered, which you have told me takes too long
  – Continue to prioritise drug related serious organised crime to dismantle county lines
  – Increase our rural crime capability to protect our villages and farms from criminals who target our rural communities
  – Invest in the Professional Standards Department so that we continue to root out and deal swiftly with any corrupt behaviour within the Force
  – Increase our victim engagement officers to support victims of rape, serious sexual offences and domestic abuse
  – Invest in the sustainability agenda including the use of low and zero emission vehicles, and alternative forms of energy

Complete the survey here.

If you’d like to get in touch with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner about how the Bedfordshire Police budget will be set for 2022/23 please email pcc@beds.police.uk