Help shape the future of policing

Police commissioner wants your views

Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner is chivvying people to tell her what they think the police should be focusing on. Alison Hernandez says she does take notice of feedback from an annual survey into policing - and now she's preparing her budget for next year, making it critical that she receives as much feedback as possible.

Last year an increase in the precept – the part of people’s council tax bill that pays for policing – was increased by the commissioner. It helped the force cope with rising costs and assisted in funding a rise in force strength of 50 additional police officers for the 2020/21 financial year.

In a year that has seen the coronavirus pandemic affect every aspect of life and caused uncertainty about the South West economy and job prospects she says she is minded not to impose an additional financial burden on the communities of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly by significantly increasing the precept for the next financial year.

“I recognise that tough decisions will need to be made about spending. That’s why I need people to take a few minutes to give me their views,” she said.

“Devon and Cornwall Police has led the local response to the pandemic while continuing to carry on with its day-to-day job of preventing and detecting crime. They have done this in partnership with communities, who have helped to fund increases in officer numbers for the past four financial years.

The survey takes around seven minutes to complete and can be found online here.