State of policing report
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick has backed a national report which calls for ‘fundamental change’ to police funding.
Mr Sidwick, who has consistently and repeatedly lobbied for changes to the police funding formula since he became PCC in 2021, said now is the time for Government to be brave and support police forces unfairly disadvantaged by the current funding arrangements.
Dorset receives the second lowest amount of police grant funding of any Force in England and Wales. Residents contribute 52% towards Dorset Police’s funding, through their council tax, whereas the average in England and Wales is around 35% and in some cases as low as 20%.
The 2025 State of Policing report published earlier this month (September) provides an assessment of policing in England and Wales in 2025. Written by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Andy Cooke, the report covers all aspects of policing, including making communities safer and building confidence, inspection findings, the workforce and police reform, which includes a focus on funding.
The report says lack of action on reforming police funding would be a ‘missed opportunity’, citing the current funding arrangements as ‘outdated and unfair’. It adds: “The police allocation formula, which is used to distribute central government grants, has remained unchanged since 2013. Forces have recognised this for many years and the Home Office is aware of the concerns, yet there still aren’t any proposals to revise it.
“At the same time, a growing share of force funding is being raised through the local council tax precept, which varies greatly between areas. Some forces can raise much more money than others by increasing the precept. This means the shift towards the council tax precept, especially in the absence of amending the police allocation formula, risks undermining consistency and fairness in police funding.”
Following the report, Dorset’s PCC said: “I have consistently raised concerns about the fairness and adequacy of the national police funding formula.
“Dorset is one of the safest counties in the country, but that does not mean our policing challenges are any less complex – in fact I would argue that during the summer months they are more so. Our unique geography, with large rural areas, busy market towns, and a thriving tourism industry, creates significant seasonal pressures on our police service. Yet, under the current formula, Dorset Police receives the second lowest level of funding from government – this does not make sense and is not fair.
“This disparity places a heavy burden on local taxpayers, who are asked year after year to contribute more through the council tax precept to maintain frontline services – again this is fundamentally unfair. Local residents should not be penalised simply because the funding formula fails to reflect the true demand on policing in Dorset.
“I continue to lobby government to deliver a fairer deal for Dorset. Reform of the funding formula must ensure that rurality and seasonality are considered. Dorset deserves its fair share, and I will not stop pressing until the system reflects the reality of policing today.”