We must pay to get more bobbies on the beat

Crime is a national issue, but fighting it is the duty of police on the ground at county level. The constant demand from the public is for ‘more bobbies on the beat’, but the harsh fact is that we have to pay for that.

There are 43 police forces in England and Wales, along with the British Transport Police and the separate police forces of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Broadly speaking, most police force funding comes from direct government funding. Around 30 per cent also comes from council tax through the policing precept — a special levy set at local level.

Hampshire’s chief constable, Olivia Pinkney, has today put her cards on the table and said that in order to provide the level of policing the county demands next year, she needs an extra £15 in council tax from each household.

She has explained how the extra money would be spent and pledges that Portsmouth, for example, would see more officers on the street if the cash is forthcoming.

She told The News: ‘I’ve been a chief officer for a long old time and this opportunity to ramp up, and take the fight to the criminals is something I’ve not been able to do at this level before.’

Few would argue with such a noble aim, but doubtless there will be bleating about an increase in council tax bills.

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan argues that the issue of police funding should be overhauled and that central government should foot a larger proportion of the bill.

That might avoid the annual spectacle of chief constables coming cap-in-hand to council tax payers each year.

The bottom line is, nobody likes taxes, but without them society cannot afford little luxuries like an adequately funded police force, or, come to that, an NHS.