Precept - Making Every Penny Count
When I became Police and Crime Commissioner in May 2021, I immediately set about creating my Police and Crime Plan which was formally published in November and can be seen here.
My plan focuses on six key priorities to make my ambitious vision for Dorset a reality; I want to make Dorset the safest county.
Over the many weeks and months, since becoming PCC, I have engaged in hundreds of conversations with residents, communities, and businesses - each one helping inform me of the issues that matter most to you. Inspired by these invaluable insights, I worked with my team to capture all the priority concerns and expectations to ensure I focus my future work with the Force, on the things that really matter and really make a difference. I am confident that my plan will improve policing, crime prevention and enforcement in Dorset; making it the safest county to live, work, study, and visit.
As we move into a New Year and look to the future, I would like to share some further commitments, specifically focussed on the proposed 2022/23 police funding and spending plans. The Government has announced the budget for policing, which presumes that PCCs will raise the precept by £10 a year. If this is approved in the New Year, it would mean that Dorset’s precept (the portion of your council tax that funds your local police service) will rise by £10 for residents living in a Band D property. In real terms, that means I am asking you for 83p a month.
I would dearly love not to have to come to you asking for any extra money to pay for policing, but the simple truth is that if I am to deliver on the priorities you told me are important, then I will need every one of those 83 pennies.
I believe, now is the time for Dorset to look forward, be bold, build on its strengths and successes, and create an even brighter and safer future for all. I believe this is achievable if we all work together and contribute where we can to improve future policing in our neighbourhoods.
Every one of those 83 pennies will boost police funding in Dorset and will be spent wisely. They will be fully aligned with my vision and the commitments of my Police and Crime Plan, so during 2022 and beyond, you can expect to experience improvements in the following key policing areas:
Neighbourhood Policing, for example:Neighbourhood policing teams and neighbourhood enforcement teams will be enhanced and expanded to reduce and investigate crime and fight ASB in our villages, towns and commercial, business and retail parks.
Customer services, for example: Public engagement and contact management systems will be transformed to improve accessibility, including better on-line reporting, live chat messaging and ‘pop-up’ community contact hubs as well as improved non-emergency 101 and 999 emergency responses.
Reducing violent crime, for example: Investing in a new a County Lines Task Force to further fight organised drug supply and related crime coming into our county and enhancing and expanding capacity to better protect and safeguard children from online sex predators and make more effective use of specialist resources and partnership initiatives to better protect women and girls from violence, sexual assault, and drink spiking.
Improve rural crime fighting, for example: Expanding the dedicated rural crime team and investing in new technologies to better connect with, protect and respond to rural communities and business owners.
Putting victims and communities first, for example: Investing in new digital evidence technologies, crime investigation and victim care capabilities to help officers bring more offenders to justice for their crimes.
I look forward to a very productive and positive 2022, delivering further service improvements to communities across Dorset.
That just leaves me to wish you all a very happy, healthy, and safe new year and to thank you for your continued interest and support in shaping the future of policing in Dorset.
David Sidwick
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner
Have your say - 2022/23 Precept public survey:
You can add your voice to the 2022/23 Precept consultation by following this link to the public survey. It should only take a few minutes and I would really like to know your thoughts. Your opinion is very much valued. Thank you in advance for your contribution.