Council boss defends shuttle bus axe

STOCKPORT residents have been asked to put their hand in their pocket for proposals to see 320 new police officers on the streets of Greater Manchester.

Residents will see a jump in their council tax bills to fund more bobbies on the beat, if Mayor Andy Burnham’s precept is approved.

The 14 per cent rise in the Mayor’s police budget would mean the ‘average’ Band D household will pay £24 a year more towards policing. The hike will be lower for residents in lower bands.

The Mayor has also revealed that residents in the average Band D bill may also see a rise of £9 to fund an overhaul of bus services.

Coun Sheila Bailey, cabinet member for communities and housing, said the need for an increase to the police budget is a direct result of cuts to the police force in the government over several years.

She said: “The shortfall means that Greater Manchester Police has lost 2,000 police officers since 2010. That’s the background to this and why the mayor – Andy Burnham – is trying to counter these reductions.”

Coun Bailey added: “The serious underfunding of police forces up and down the country results in local tax payers having to pay increased charges, in order to try and counter some of the damage by cuts in budget that the government has imposed.”

Stockport council’s chairman of licensing, environment and safety committee, Coun Chris Murphy welcomed the plans.

He said: “It’s good news. We need more everywhere needs more.

“Austerity has crippled the police force.”

Brinnington resident Christine Dale, a former Street Watch member, said she is happy to pay more in order to have more police officers.

She said: “An amount of £24 in one big lump per year isn’t very much.

“More police officers is a good idea. There’s a need for more police in the evenings if there’s trouble.”

The force will recruit 170 neighbourhood police officers, a ‘proactive’ team of 50 officers working across Greater Manchester and 50 officers to focus on the transport network. The money will also be used to recruit 50 direct entry detectives to work on complex investigations.

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said the additional funding will take the force towards the 7,000 officers he believes are needed to police Greater Manchester.

He said: “I am grateful to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester and the Police and Crime Panel for approving this increase.

“I know people are facing difficult times but together we can make our communities safer.

“We have outlined in the Citizens’ Contract that we will use the resources we have responsibly, and people will see this in the plans to use the additional funding.

“Alongside this the work to transform how we police continues including the introduction of new technology, focusing on those most vulnerable in our communities and ensuring close working with other agencies.

“We have been listening to people about the problems they are facing in communities which is why the officers will be used to boost policing in neighbourhoods and create a proactive team who will work across Greater Manchester supporting community operations.”

The police force will begin recruiting this year and into 2020, although it is not known how many would be assigned to Stockport.

‘Austerity has crippled the police force’