Merseyside residents could be asked to pay an extra £10 a year in council tax to help fund extra police officers for the region.
Merseyside Police is already expecting to have 500 new officers on duty by March this year as part of the government’s promise to increase police numbers by 20,000 nationally.
But the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Kennedy has said she wants to recruit another 160 officers over the next year to help make up for previous losses.
She said: “The chief constable and I have done everything we could to accelerate our recruitment drive and, by March 2021, 500 more officers will be patrolling the streets of Merseyside.
“This is good news however, the force will still be a long way short of the numbers it had in 2010.”
Government cuts to police budgets since 2010 saw Merseyside lose 1,110 officers over the past decade, until police forces finally began to receive funding for new officers last year.
However, while the government is providing some funding for extra officers, Ms Kennedy said it also expected local taxpayers to make a contribution.
In Merseyside, this would mean a £10 increase in annual council tax bills for Band A properties, which account for the majority of properties in the region.
Ms Kennedy said: “We are ready and keen to recruit a further 160 police officers in the next year, however following the government’s announcement it is clear that we will need the public’s help if we are to achieve this.
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“I know the public of Merseyside want more, not fewer police officers. Like last year, by paying a little more they can be assured that they will get more, more police officers, more police teams, working for us, in our communities.
“I am aware that local people are already heavily burdened in what has been a terrible year of disaster and anxiety, but I hope they will be willing to pay an extra 19p a week to help stabilise the force’s budget and ensure we can recruit 160 new officers in the next 12 months.”
The increase would be more than last year’s tax hike, when the police and crime commissioner i ncreased annual tax bills by £6.67 per Band A property to help pay for new officers.
There has also been concern about how new officers would be used, with Ms Kennedy warning that a lack of further government funding meant the force could be forced to use some officers to replace backroom civilian staff.
The tax hike is likely to be part of a larger increase in council tax bills for Merseyside residents as local councils are also expected to raise rates, in part to help pay for their response to Covid-19.
Most taxpayers in the region could end up having to pay an extra £50 per year in council tax
As in 2020, the police and crime commissioner is holding a public consultation on her proposals to increase council tax.
People are invited to have their say through a short online survey at www.MerseysidePCCpreceptsurvey.co.uk by January 31.
