By Nick Griffiths Crime reporter

Last updated at 11:00, Wednesday, 23 January 2013

The police part of the council tax bill in Cumbria is to go up by 1.95 per cent, keeping officer numbers steady for two years.

The county’s crime commissioner Richard Rhodes had proposed the rise, saying it would allow a budget to be set and would let the force keep 1,134 bobbies.

Community support officer numbers will also stay at their current level of 95 following the decision. The rise works out at an extra £3.87 a year for a band D property. Mr Rhodes plan was supported by members of Cumbria’s police and crime panel, which scrutinises his work, at a meeting in Kendal yesterday.

He welcomed the move but described the force’s financial future as “challenging”, with millions of pounds of savings having to be made. Current predictions suggest officer numbers, which have gone down following spending cuts, may drop by a further 64 by 2017.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Rhodes said: “This allows me to now set the overall budget and funding for the constabulary.

“It is without question a challenging position and the financial forecasts indicate £10.2m of savings will have to be delivered between 2013/14 and 2016/17.

“This is in addition to the £12.1m of savings already achieved.”

Mr Rhodes said he would “fully engage” with the Home Office on any debate about government funding – another source of cash for the force – as any change would have a “significant impact”.

The new tax will come into effect from April when the next financial year begins.

• A plan for policing in Cumbria should be published by the middle of March.

Mr Rhodes has been working on a blueprint since being elected in November and he said it should be finished by the early spring.

He added the proposals were those of himself and the county’s chief constable and the public would also have their say.

He is gathering views at meetings around the county and nearly 100 people have so far responded to an online survey.

“Our intention is to publish in the middle of March,” Mr Rhodes told the police and crime panel meeting.

In a draft of the plan, discussed at the meeting, he has called for more efforts to tackle alcohol abuse. Other priorities include targeting crime hotspots, setting up an office of public engagement to find out people’s concerns, establishing an office of victim support, developing more use of restorative justice, where offenders answer to their victims and looking at youth offending.

First published at 10:33, Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk