Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner is asking the public for their views on paying an additional £1.17 per month for the policing part of the council tax.
If approved, it would see those living in a Band D property paying an extra £14 a year for policing in Dorset during 2025/26.
Each police force is funded through a combination of funding from council tax and a government grant.
The government has now announced the headline budget for policing, which presumes PCCs will raise the policing precept by £14 a year.
The PCC needs support from Dorset residents to ensure Dorset Police have the required funding to continue serving communities across the county, further driving down falling crime numbers and delivering even better outcomes for victims.
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick, pictured, said: “It is no secret that police forces across the country are facing significant budgetary pressures, with Dorset Police by no means immune to this increasingly difficult situation.
“Despite substantial savings already being made and further efficiencies being identified through the Force’s Project Evolve programme, Dorset Police still finds itself in a tough financial predicament, with savings of £7 million required over two years.
“High levels of inflation, rising energy costs, increasing national insurance contributions, nationally mandated pay rises and strict rules on police officer numbers, are just a few of the pressures contributing to this situation.
“Alongside these pressures, the police funding formula remains unchanged and outdated, with Dorset receiving the second lowest proportion of central government funding in England and Wales.
“I have been relentless in lobbying for changes to this and for the demands of seasonality and sparsity in Dorset to be considered but despite these widespread calls by me and other PCCs and policing bodies, this formula remains in place, putting our county at a significant disadvantage – especially when compared to others.
“This squeeze on our finances is unfair and frustratingly means I must ask for funding from the residents of Dorset, something which is never an easy task.
“This funding will allow Dorset Police to continue initiatives such as Operation Scorpion that cracks down on criminals supplying drugs, Operation Shopkeeper which focuses on prolific shoplifters, and the rural crime initiative, Operation Ragwort, which works with partners and neighbouring forces to prevent rural crime across the south west.
“Crime has fallen by 2.3 per cent across Dorset, with positive outcomes on the rise, meaning more perpetrators being identified and dealt with.
“Responses to the highest-grade emergency calls are also improving – all significant achievements alongside the backdrop of budgetary pressures.
“This year, Dorset also recorded the lowest number of anti-social behaviour incidents since 2007/8, with reported offences dropping 12 per cent from the year before.
“Our county is one of the safest in the country and thanks to the work of dedicated officers, staff and volunteers we continue to improve. I hope Dorset residents can support what is being done and take part in the survey and give me your thoughts and opinions – because together over the last year we have made a difference and I want that to continue.”
- You can take the survey here.