Thames Valley Police numbers due to rise by a further 150 officers next year
Matthew Barber’s spending plans for Thames Valley Police will improve neighbourhood policing and increase visibility while keeping the council tax rise at just 25p per week for a Band D household
Matthew Barber (Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley) has set out his policing budget for 2024/25 which will see continued investment in frontline policing with a further increase in police officer numbers.
Spending plans will see an increase of £13 a year in Council Tax contributions in 2024/24 for a Band D property. Thames Valley Police are due to receive £294m of central Government funding in 2024/25, which is a rise of 5.6% compared to 2023. However, the cost of rising inflation on the policing budget for the year is estimated to reach £37m.
In setting the budget, Matthew Barber said: “As your Police and Crime Commissioner, it is my responsibility to ensure that Thames Valley Police has the resources to effectively prevent and investigate crime, support victims and protect communities from harm.
“I am conscious of the current cost of living pressures on households. However, alongside this, economic pressures such as high utility, fuel, and vehicle costs are also continuing to significantly impact policing budgets despite a rise in government funding.
“In order to continue to keep our communities safe and to address the policing priorities of residents identified through my ongoing local crime survey, I have made the decision to increase Council Tax contributions by 25p per week for a Band D property.
“Through this, investment in policing will focus on the priorities that matter to residents with strengthened neighbourhood policing and crime prevention.”
The 2024/25 policing budget will include investment in the following areas:
Funding for an additional 150 police officers across the force, including neighbourhood officers; priority crime teams to tackle burglaries, theft and shoplifting; and an increase in the Rural Crime Taskforce
Thames Valley wide Operation Deter Youth programme to help tackle and deter young people from knife crime
Thames Valley wide cyber awareness activity to help protect the public and businesses from cybercrime and fraud
New investment to tackle retail crime
Long-term investment in local community safety initiatives with local authorities
Continued investment in Thames Valley-wide CCTV partnership
Road safety initiatives across the Thames Valley
Preventing reoffending through the Restart programme
Continued investment in the forensic improvement programme
Long-term investment in technology and infrastructure
Matthew continued: “Thames Valley has more police officers than ever before, exceeding the target set by the Home Office for police officer recruitment, with a further 150 additional officers now funded through this year’s budget. This builds upon my pledge of recruiting additional police officers to ensure Thames Valley Police grows as our population increases.
“In addition, the budget will allow for investment in other key areas. This will include nearly £1million funding to roll-out the Operation Deter youth engagement programme across the force area to help tackle knife crime, £500,000 allocated to support road safety activity, additional funding to tackle the rise in retail crime as well as the continuation of funding for services to reduce reoffending and support victims of crime.”
Over 3,500 residents responded to the ongoing local crime survey (6 April 2023 to 6 January 2024). Participants were asked ‘If council tax increases, which areas would you most like to see your contribution used for?’
The budget will be presented to the Performance & Accountability (PAM) public meeting on Thursday 18th January and the Police & Crime Panel on Friday 26th January before being finalised.
