Council tax may rise to pay for policing in South Yorkshire

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, warned of the potential rise this week.

He said that although the government has promised 20,000 extra police officers, the number will simply restore the number lost due to government cuts over the last 11 years.

“Over this period the population has grown and crime has changed,” he said.

“The years when the force was being cut saw the growth of organised criminal gangs, especially those involved in drugs, and a rise in violent crime.

“It also saw the exponential growth of cybercrime. We need the 20,000 to make up for what has been lost but we also need additional officers to combat the new threats.”

Dr Billings added that the cost of the extra officers will not be fully funded by the government, and warned that some of the cash must come from council tax in April, when the budget is announced.

PCCs across the country are permitted to raise the precept on council tax by £15 per year on a band D property, which is currently £198.

“The 20,000 is about restoring police numbers to where they were in 2010.

“Whatever our final quota turns out to be, and we have not been told, not all officers will go into neighbourhood teams because not all those lost were from neighbourhood teams,” added Dr Billings.

“And we will have to pay towards the extra numbers – or we won’t get them.”

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