Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster’s budget for 2023-24, which will deliver further significant improvements to policing across the county, has been finalised.
The 2023-24 budget will provide the Chief Constable with the resources necessary to build on the considerable progress in service delivery made since 2021 to deliver the strong local policing that residents have said they want and expect.
At a meeting of the Police and Crime Panel held held on 26th January 2023, the Commissioner highlighted the many positive outcomes resulting from her 2022-23 budget including meeting the recruitment target of 283 extra officers; a tougher and more proactive approach to tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) – such as the introduction of ASB coordinators; a significant reduction in burglary and increased enforcement on our roads to tackle speeding and dangerous driving.
She also explained that in line with the expectations set out in her Police and Crime Plan, the rural crime team has been boosted significantly since 2021 to improve services across the whole county. In addition, a Safeguarding Hub has been created alongside the appointment of a stalking coordinator and stalking advocates as part of the Commissioner’s strategy to increase the safety of women and girls.
Members of the Police and Crime Panel received a full and comprehensive report on budget proposals for the coming year and supported her plans to continue progress on making our residents safer.
Commissioner Angelique Foster said: “My focus is to keep our communities safe and to see them get the policing service they need and deserve. It is essential that local issues remain at the front and centre of service delivery.
“I welcome the Panel’s recognition of the hard work that my office and I have undertaken to drive forward the substantial improvements to policing that the Chief Constable and her Force have delivered to date. It was good to see the Panel’s understanding that such progress can only be sustained with adequate funding.”
“This year’s budget will help to maintain our extra 283 police officers and deliver the quality of services local people deserve. It will also ensure the police bring more criminals to justice and protect our law-abiding residents.”
The budget for policing Derbyshire in 2023-24 is £219.47m. This includes a 5.9% increase in the portion of the council tax that goes towards policing (the police precept). This equates to £1.25 a month (£15 per annum) for a Band D (the average) property. The majority of properties in Derby City and Derbyshire are rated lower than a Band D and therefore pay a lower rate, for example, a Band B property will pay an additional 97p per month (£11.67 per annum).
The amount of Council Tax that goes towards policing is approximately 11% of the overall bill.