Roger Hirst’s statement following national police funding announcement

Following the national announcement on police funding, Roger Hirst, the Police ,Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex said

“I welcome the announcement on police funding for 2019-2020 and appreciate the support from the Minister and the Treasury to mitigate the cost pressures faced by policing nationally. This extra support means that any money raised locally can be spent locally on policing in Essex.

“People know how stretched policing is. They want more officers and are I believe they are willing to pay more to get them. I recently ran a survey to test whether the public were willing to invest more in Essex Police. We had a strong response with over 71% of people willing to pay more and more than two thirds of these were willing to pay an additional £20 a year, or even more.

“Last year because of the extra money raised through the policing precept and efficiency savings achieved by Essex Police, we were able to recruit an extra 150 officers. These officers have been recruited, trained and are being deployed in communities over the next few weeks.

“The announcement today should mean we are able to do at least the same again, or more, next year.

“As we consider our position for next year, we need to ensure that any additional money raised is spent wisely and goes towards making a real difference, locally in our communities.