Avon and Somerset Police to charge 5% more in council tax
Avon and Somerset Police will charge more council tax from April.The police and crime panel voted on Tuesday in favour of the Police and Crime Commissioner's (PCC) proposal to increase the police precept - the portion of council tax allocated to police services - by 5%.For a band D property, this will see £14 added to the annual bill for policing, taking it from £279 to £293.The increase will generate an additional £8.5m for the force, the PCC's office said. Chief Constable Sarah Crew told the meeting that even with this increase, the force would need to find £6m of savings.
Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Clare Moody said: "I know the cost of living is a concern for many, and I did not take this decision lightly."Without the increase, the force would have faced a significant deficit, even after making cuts committed to in its £6.4m savings plan over the next year, which is set to see 80 fewer Police Community Support Officers (PSCO).
'Wheels on'
It comes as Avon and Somerset Police said it had already lost 60 PSCOs in 12 months, between September 2023 and September 2024, a decrease of 19%.The chair of the police and crime panel, councillor Heather Shearer, said it had approved the increase "just to keep the wheels on".The decision followed a public consultation, in which 3,146 residents across the region shared their views. The majority of responses, 52%, supported a precept increase of £10 or more.Ms Crew said the need for a rise was because of an increase in demand on the force - which she said was "not about crime"."Crime is only about 25% of our demand, we are dealing with lots of other things," she said.She added much of a police officer's time was supervising people in need of help until "somebody with the right skills comes along"."I don't come to this with a defeatist mindset. We have to prioritise. We will respond to your emergencies consistently and well. We will see justice done for you," Ms Crew added.Meanwhile, Ms Moody added: "It is my responsibility to ensure our police service has the resources to continue tackling crime, keeping communities safe, and improving trust and confidence in policing."It is an annual increase and we know police needs that funding right now."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Man with crossbow bolt wound taken to hospital
A man in his 30s has been taken to hospital after being injured by a crossbow bolt, police were called to reports of a man being assaulted in Wardleworth Way in Wellington, Somerset, on Monday night.A man in his 40s was arrested nearby on suspicion of wounding with intent and is in police custody, Avon and Somerset Police (ASP) said.A police cordon remains in place after the "shocking" incident, the force added. The victim, in his 30s, did not receive life-threatening injuries and has since been released from hospital, ASP force is appealing for anyone with information about what happened to come forward. Insp Joe Piscina said: "This was a shocking incident and a full investigation is well underway, although we do believe it involved two people who were known to each other."Fortunately, the victim escaped more serious injuries and he has now been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery at home."
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Police officer held down 'z' key to pretend he was working for 100 hours
It's the work-from-home trick we've all been tempted to try. Press down a key to keep your laptop on, all while you kick back and relax. That's the ploy one 'deceptive' police officer turned to, all until his bosses clocked on. PC Liam Reakes, based in Yeovil, weighed down the 'Z' key to make it look like he was working from home. The officer cost Avon and Somerset Police more than 100 hours of work and has now been barred from the profession. A tribunal found the officer committed gross misconduct on Monday and said he would have been dismissed had he not resigned last month. PC Reakes admitted opening a blank Word document and holding down the 'Z' key during countless shifts between June and September 2023. This sometimes went on for more than four hours, but the officer denied trying to trick others that he was working from home when he wasn't. He accepted his behaviour fell below the standards expected, though denied gross misconduct. There had been concerns raised about PC Reakes' performance throughout 2024 before the ploy was discovered. An internal audit of keystrokes in September 2024 then found that his total was much higher than others doing similar jobs. The officer's case argued he was struggling with mental health issues and lacked the support and motivation that working alongside colleagues in an office gave him. Reakes claimed he held down the Z character to protect his mental health. According to the force's Barrister Mark Ley-Morgan, he said it allowed him to see his computer screen and respond quickly to notifications. But Ley-Morgan said there was no evidence to support Reakes' defence. He added: 'He knew he was being paid for work that he was not doing. 'We are all entitled to take a break and have a cup of tea but this was far beyond that. 'There is no place in the police service for dishonest officers.' The panel's chair, Craig Holden, called the officer's behaviour 'deceitful and dishonest'. He went on: 'The impact on the trust the public have in the police service will be damaged. More Trending 'He had lied during the interview process when he could have come clean, and the activity was regular and sustained.' The officer will now be added to the national barred list, which will stop him from working in law enforcement again. Avon and Somerset Police's Det Supt Larisa Hunt said: 'PC Reakes was the subject of an action plan and was allocated a tutor due to concerns over his performance prior to the keyboard audit being carried out. 'The use of any device or system to replicate keyboard activity is wholly wrong and deceptive and the public will be rightly outraged at this behaviour.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Illegal quarry rave in Frome took police 12 hours to shut down
Thirteen people arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance following an illegal rave at a quarry have been released under and Somerset Police said it was called to an event attended by about 200 people at Asham Quarry near Frome, Somerset, at about 01:20 BST on van-loads of music equipment and staging were seized from the site while officers worked to disperse the attendees. Police said the terrain made it "difficult" to shut down the event safely "during the hours of darkness" when many in attendance were "intoxicated". Upon arrival, officers found the event to be well under way with approximately 100 vehicles and 200 people there at the event's quarry has a single public highway entry and exit point, heavy foliage and treelines, and zero visibility so late at night, police tried to encourage people to leave but music was not turned off until 09:30, with the site cleared by 14:00. The force asked the public to make themselves aware of the warning signs of illegal raves - including advertising on social media, large crowds gathering, and vans unloading equipment.A police spokesperson added: "Unlicensed music events of this nature can have a serious impact on communities and we will seek to prosecute organisers, seize equipment and vehicles. "Avon and Somerset is no place for unlicensed music events and raves which negatively impact or disturb our communities."
