Nottinghamshire crime tsar says council tax rise will pay for 45 extra police officers

Caroline Henry, Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner, said a rise in the part of council tax which pays for policing will ensure an extra 45 police officers and 25 police staff are employed.

Twenty-four of the officers will be deployed to Operation Reacher teams, which work across each area of the county, including Mansfield and Ashfield, to tackle organised crime.

Four more officers will also be deployed to the two dedicated knife crime teams, which can use powers such as ‘stop and search’ to take weapons off the streets.

A further five officers will also work in digital media investigations to retrieve vital evidence from mobile phones, laptops and across social media.

There will also be a force operational lead overlooking violence against women and girls, which will include targeting perpetrators, as well as ensuring women feel safe on nights out.

Eight officers will also be recruited into the modern slavery and county lines teams to try to ensure vulnerable people and children are not exploited.

‘County lines’ involves a tactic used by drug dealers to use children as young as 11 as sellers and couriers in drug houses across the county.

Last year, about 20 Nottinghamshire children were found in areas as far away as Scotland and Newquay.

Increase

Mrs Henry, a Conservative, will increase the part of council tax which pays for policing by 4.1 per cent this year to provide an extra £4.8 million. This is an increase of £9.99 for a Band D property, making the cost £254.25 a year.

She said: “The cost of living is increasing, so if I was going to ask Nottinghamshire people to pay more money, then I would deliver what they wanted me to deliver and that is more boots on the ground.”

Other plans as part of the council tax rise include investing an extra £500,000 into automatic number plate recognition cameras, which stop criminals using the road network by tracking their vehicles.

There will also be a dedicated point of contact in the police control room for rural communities affected by crime including the theft of farming machinery and poaching as well as new rural beat officers.

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