Paying for Policing – We need #yourviews

Are you willing to pay more Council Tax to increase levels of policing in Essex? That’s the question being asked by Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex.

If you are an Essex resident please fill in our online survey so Mr Hirst can gauge whether or not you would be happy to pay more, so more resources can be invested in policing across the county.

Funding for Essex Police comes from two sources – central Government and local Council Tax. Taking these two funding sources into account, Essex Police receives the lowest funding per resident of any police force in the country and has the sixth lowest council tax for policing.

Mr Hirst said: “I want us to provide the best service possible for the people of Essex and increasing investment will help us deliver this. We cannot count on any increase in central Government funding for this year but I am lobbying hard for that, and for the freedom to raise the police precept. Before we make any decisions around increased investment I want to know residents’ views and what they would like to see.”

He added: “At every public meeting I attend I hear that the residents want more police on the streets and whilst both Essex Police and I are doing everything we can to make that happen, we need more money or resources to deliver it in the way we would want. The demand on the police service is rising. New crime types are emerging and existing crime is rising in its complexity, this is against a backdrop of an unprecedented shift in the national security environment. My question to you is this – are you prepared to pay more for those extra resources?”

You can fill in the survey online via this link http://surveys.essexinsight.org.uk/policeprecept

Find out more about the survey by searching for #yourviews on social media. The survey will be live until midnight on Sunday, November 19.