Suffolk Police Federation chair Darren Harris is urging members to have their say as the county Police and Crime Commissioner bids to boost the Force’s budget by increasing the council tax precept.

PCC Tim Passmore said it was essential to raise the precept - the element of the council tax bill which goes towards local policing - to its maximum level of £15 this year and has launched a public consultation to see if people are prepared to pay.

Officers and members of the public are being encouraged to take part in the survey and indicate whether they support a six per cent rise which works out at 29p per week for every Band D household in the county but would add around £3.9 million to the annual policing budget.

Mr Passmore has warned policing in the county could suffer unless the extra cash was secured.

Darren said: “The PCC has made it clear that the Force needs this extra funding and his consultation document gives our members the chance to have their say so I would encourage them to complete this survey.

“We are in the middle of a very challenging cost of living crisis and no one wants to see their bills going up any higher but it is essential that the service we provide to the people of Suffolk is properly resourced so this survey from the PCC is very important.”

In a message to residents, Mr Passmore said: “Suffolk Constabulary does a good job for the people of Suffolk and His Majesty’s Inspectorate rated the Force as ‘Good’ in a recent inspection.  It is a low-cost force and offers good value for money, however, we do face significant challenges.

“Whilst we will receive a minimal increase in core Government funding on last year, this does not cover the impact of inflation and the increased costs we are all having to pay such as fuel and energy, so I will need to raise the council tax precept to cover this.

“The Policing Minister has given PCCs the ability to raise the policing element of the precept by up to £15 per annum for a Band D property in the next financial year.  

“Sadly, without sufficient increased funding from Government I feel I have no choice but to consider the maximum increase because without it, the policing service would suffer.”

Mr Passmore said the extra funding was needed to maintain an efficient service and provide the resources needed to manage demand as effectively as possible for both the Force and the people of Suffolk.

He said: “Without the proposed increase, there is a significant risk of a reduction in service and, without some level of investment the constabulary will simply not keep up with the increased demands placed upon it. The level of service will decline accordingly.”

Access the consultation document.