At the end of January, I set the budget for Thames Valley Police for the coming year.
Despite some significant challenges – the increase in funding from government is less than the additional costs due to inflations – we’re able to continue to recruit more officers, focussing on getting more police back onto the beat in our local neighbourhood teams. You can find out more about this year’s budget below.
Last month, I joined Thames Valley Police officers working to reduce retail crime at the latest Retail Crime Forum in Reading. Launched last year, the forum works to implement my Retail Crime Strategy to tackle shoplifting, retail crime and violence against shop workers through a strong partnership approach.
And whilst it is great news that charges for offences like shoplifting are up – with more criminals being brought to justice – preventing crime in the first place is even better. That’s why I am increasing funding by 15% for crime prevention initiatives by our local Community Safety Partnerships. These partnerships bring together local councils, the police and others to cut crime in every community. This additional funding will help us to keep crime falling and tackle anti-social behaviour.
Matthew Barber
Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley
 |
|
|