Latest news with #RogerHirst
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police U-turn on retaining community officers
A police force looks likely to retain its 99 community support officers (PCSOs) after previously announcing plans to get rid of them. Last month, Essex Police said it needed to make drastic savings to mitigate a budget shortfall of £5.3m. However, the government said on Friday it would invest £100m in policing, of which Essex Police would receive £2.3m. The force said it still planned to cut 65 staff roles, and increase its share of council tax. Roger Hirst, police, fire and crime commissioner for Essex, said he could not confirm which staff roles would be cut, but that a "variety" could be lost. "We recognise the impact this has on staff, officers and PCSOs who come to work each day to protect all of us and prevent crime," he said. "However hard the decisions, I am committed to working with everybody in Essex and nationally to secure the resources Essex Police need to get crime down." Mr Hirst said the force's latest budget, approved by the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Panel, included plans to increase the amount of council tax households pay for police and fire services by just under 6%. It meant the average band D property in Essex would pay a combined extra £18.90 a year for policing. Other proposed cost-saving measures included stopping some non-critical building and technology projects. The "south-east allowance", which officers get due to the higher cost of living in this part of the country, would also be cut by £250 a year to £2,750. Mr Hirst, who was elected on a Conservative ticket, said public support to retain PCSOs had been "vocal and powerful". "We remain committed to delivering the best possible services to the public and to working with government to reform and improve policing and fire and rescue in Essex," he added. The force said its revised plans would be submitted to the Home Office for approval. A decision was expected in the spring. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Officers in 'complete disbelief' over job cuts plan Police force reveals plan to axe all its PCSOs Police chief 'may have to cut 200 officers' Police facing tough choices over 'unfair funding' Calls for PCSOs to be brought back in Norfolk Essex Police Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex Home Office
BBC News
04-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Essex Police U-turn on loss of community support officers
A police force looks likely to retain its 99 community support officers (PCSOs) after previously announcing plans to get ride of month, Essex Police said it needed to make drastic savings to mitigate a budget shortfall of £ the government said on Friday it would invest £100m in policing, of which Essex Police would receive £ force said it still planned to cut 65 staff roles, and increase its share of council tax. Roger Hirst, police, fire and crime commissioner for Essex, said he could not confirm which staff roles would be cut, but that a "variety" could be lost."We recognise the impact this has on staff, officers and PCSOs who come to work each day to protect all of us and prevent crime," he said."However hard the decisions, I am committed to working with everybody in Essex and nationally to secure the resources Essex Police need to get crime down." Mr Hirst said the force's latest budget, approved by the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Panel, included plans to increase the amount of council tax households pay for police and fire services by just under 6%.It meant the average band D property in Essex would pay a combined extra £18.90 a year for proposed cost-saving measures included stopping some non-critical building and technology "south-east allowance", which officers get due to the higher cost of living in this part of the country, would also be cut by £250 a year to £2, Hirst, who was elected on a Conservative ticket, said public support to retain PCSOs had been "vocal and powerful"."We remain committed to delivering the best possible services to the public and to working with government to reform and improve policing and fire and rescue in Essex," he force said its revised plans would be submitted to the Home Office for approval. A decision was expected in the spring. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
31-01-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Essex Police to review PCSO redundancy plan amid £100m funding
A police force might not cut its 99 community officers as planned, after the government announced a £100m investment in Police said on Tuesday it needed to make drastic staffing cuts to mitigate a budget shortfall of £ the government said on Friday it would invest the nine-figure sum into neighbourhood policing teams across England and was not yet known how much Essex Police would receive, but Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst said: "On the back of today's announcement, we will revise our proposals." As well as axing 99 PCSOs, or community support officers, 65 staff roles were also put at risk earlier this who was elected on a Conservative ticket, said the cash injection would "go some way" towards bridging the force's budget followed what he described as "the hardest decision we would ever have to make"."This has been a difficult few days - we recognise the impact our announcement has had on people's lives," he said. PCSOs are paid employees but do not have powers of arrest unless accompanied by a proposed redundancies are subject to thanked the government for listening to his concerns and said work would continue to establish a long-term funding settlement for the force. 'Major turning point' The £100m investment was scheduled for the next financial year, with each force due to set out plans on how they would use it to increase patrols by came after the government announced a separate £100m funding boost for England and Wales in Secretary Yvette Cooper said both investments in neighbourhood policing marked a "major turning point"."We are giving forces across the country what they need to put more officers and PCSOs where they're needed most - on our streets and in our town centres," she added. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Essex Police PCSO cuts left staff in 'disbelief'
Police officers have been left in "complete disbelief" at plans to make all 99 of its police community support officers (PCSOs) redundant, a representative Police revealed on Tuesday it also wanted to cut 65 staff roles amid a £5.3m budget Heggie, chairwoman of the force's federation, said watching staff being told their jobs were at risk was "one of the hardest things I've witnessed in my career".It followed Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst telling BBC Essex redundancies were "the least worst option". "Our reaction across the board is a complete disbelief at what's potentially going to happen and the impact that's going to have," Ms Heggie said."If we lose our PCSOs we cannot continue to provide the service we are at the moment, there's no doubt about it."There is disbelief, sympathy for our colleagues and there's anger." PCSOs are paid employees but do not have powers of arrest unless accompanied by a proposed redundancies are subject to Heggie added: "You can't underestimate the value they bring, they are an instrumental part of community policing. They are our eyes and ears."Essex Police employs about 3,755 officers and said salaries accounted for 81% of its yearly who was elected on a Conservative ticket, told BBC Essex he would consider taking a pay cut during the catalogue of cost-saving measures."The frustration is we have been in a position for the last few years to reduce crime across Essex," he said."It almost feels like we're being penalised here in Essex for being so successful." Hirst said the impact of losing "brilliant" PCSOs and staff was going to be "tangible".He added: "We've shown Essex Police has the tactics, the ability, the capability to reduce crime across the county, we just need to have the right resources."In a statement on Tuesday, Essex Police said "inadequate" funding from the government was to blame for its challenging financial a Home Office spokesman said an extra 13,000 neighbourhood police officers, community support officers and special constables were being funded as part of a "visible policing drive". 'Political game playing' Reacting to the announcement, Conservative MP for Braintree and former Home Secretary James Cleverly said Labour had got its "maths badly wrong".He said Essex Police had been "squeezing and squeezing and squeezing" financially, adding: "But now they've gone as far as they can go because of Labour's financial mismanagement."However, Labour MP for Thurrock Jen Craft accused Cleverly of "political game playing"."We've had 14 years of chronic underfunding on all of our public services, not just police," she said."This year we've had a funding increase for police forces, including Essex." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
