It is vital public have their say over police budget
IN relation to the comments from Lepton resident, Frank W Healy, in January 10 edition.
The online version of the Police Budget Survey is one of the means by which it has been shared across our communities, with further postal surveys also distributed to local households.
This is highlighted in press releases issued to the media, however, in this instance, the Examiner article referred to, did not elude to this.
I encourage anyone to contact my office on (01924) 294000 who wishes to receive the survey in a different format to make it more accessible for them.
The delays from central Government in announcing the Police Funding Settlement just before Christmas has resulted in reduced timescales for police and crime commissioners to engage with local people upon the policing precept, an unfortunate consequence of national Brexit debates in Parliament.
I have taken all the measures I can to mitigate the subsequent impact, particularly through the immediacy of social media.
Mr Healy also mentions that fighting crime in all its guises should be the primary aim of the force and I wholeheartedly agree, which is why I continue to press for greater funding.
With £140m of police budget cuts by Government in West Yorkshire since 2010, equating to around 2,000 police jobs, it is more important than ever to prioritise our response to the crimes that inflict the greatest damage upon communities.
We have to be realistic though, about what is achievable against a backdrop of increasing demand and that is why the views of the public are so crucial in helping me formulate this forthcoming police budget.
For the record, my office accounts for less than 0.4% of the overall policing budget in West Yorkshire and less than the previous police authority.
With the consultation deadline of today I call upon people to have their say. stalls in Queensgate Market to one end so I would like to suggest the following idea.
In the space left, why not provide some seats? We older ones just want a few minutes of rest under cover to get our energy back again.
A lot of senior citizens visit the market and for us and disabled people being able to have a short rest could make a difference to trade as we wouldn’t be too tired to look around.