Appeal for 44 extra West Yorkshire officers is backed

7:00am Wednesday 6th February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Dolores Cowburn, Bradford Chief Reporter

Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson

An extra 44 frontline officers will be recruited by West Yorkshire Police after councillors backed a call by the Police and Crime Commissioner to ask council tax payers to foot the bill.

The Police and Crime Panel, which has powers to scrutinise and support the Commissioner’s activities, unanimously voted yesterday to give the go ahead for a 3.8 per cent rise in the police precept to pay for the officers.

The rise equates to a penny a day for the two-thirds of households in West Yorkshire that fall into council tax bands A and B. For those households in band D it will mean £5 a year.

After the meeting in Wakefield, Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson said asking for a rise in the precept was not one he had taken “lightly”, but said it was necessary to protect the number of frontline officers in neighbourhood policing teams across West Yorkshire.

He said: “In an ideal world we wouldn’t be want to increase the council tax precept, but we have got to put it in the context that West Yorkshire has the third lowest precept in England and Wales and it’s been frozen for the last two years.

“We are losing more officers than we are recruiting over the year, so this will help to maintain the number of frontline officers. The majority of people have said they were prepared to pay more for policing and it’s not a decision I have taken lightly. I know that things are tough out there.”

Mr Burns-Williamson said he made the decision using feedback from his ‘Listening to You First’ consultation to ask council tax payers to pay more.

The 14 members on the panel included the deputy leader of Bradford Council, Councillor Imran Hussain, who described any rise as “undesirable” but said he had received assurances it would pay for frontline policing.

“We have had further reassurances that in the coming years any efficiency savings will be hopefully found in back office and not frontline services,” said Coun Hussain. “The other assurance is that the Neighbourhood Policing Teams will be protected.”

The 44 officers will be deployed across the county.

Councillor Michael Walls (Con, Queensbury) said he had quizzed Mr Burns-Williamson about the £1 million staffing costs for the office of the commissioner.

Coun Walls said: “He did say it was nearly the same as the police authority and they were all essential staff.

“He said he would look at making savings where possible in his own office.”

Comments(16)

Mik_e says...
7:40am Wed 6 Feb 13

'Officers' ? Police officers or the waste of time & money Community Support officers ?

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Apollo says...
8:20am Wed 6 Feb 13

44 extra Police Officers are not needed.

What is needed is to find 44 Officers who never set foot outside a Police Station and get them on the front line.

If you have any problems with this please feel free to contact me and we will have a drive round to various stations and identify the individuals.

Far too many officers never go anywhere near the 'front line'.

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collos25 says...
10:14am Wed 6 Feb 13

Nobody asked me whether I wanted these extra dummies.What we need is a force that is well trained and not corrupt and with less hierarchy.

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webshow says...
10:28am Wed 6 Feb 13

No can't agree. The police are in it for the money, they spend far too much time on motorists than the hard crime. Still no arrests for these recent spate of home burglaries.

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webshow says...
10:30am Wed 6 Feb 13

Why can we not comment on:
Figures discussed by councillors

This story reveals they need to make a lot more management cuts. Not enough done. Fire more managers & I would like to know how many council workers earning over 60,000 have been fired & why not.

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Albion. says...
10:48am Wed 6 Feb 13

collos25 wrote:
Nobody asked me whether I wanted these extra dummies.What we need is a force that is well trained and not corrupt and with less hierarchy.
I thought you lived in Germany?

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Outraged English Subject says...
12:07pm Wed 6 Feb 13

44 extra Police Officers are not needed. The Police Officers we already have should work harder and for longer, also should really try to be more professional when doing so.

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Not so simple says...
2:23pm Wed 6 Feb 13

I admire police officers and the likes, however I am growing more and more alarmed at the lack of knowledge and poor training these police officers of today have.

Firstly they daren't read their oath. I dare you to ask them to read it....they cannot arrest you for asking as they are their to uphold the peace and protect you and me.

Secondly ask the police officers what's the law of the land...common law? Some will know what you are talking about and back off and respect the oath to protect us under common law. Some will get ego issues or just do not understand the law and the oath.

Remeber the police are your servants. They serve to protect and keep the peace.

Don't Adam and eve me?

Well check this out and wake up to the illusion

YouTube
John Harris a carpenters view

Google TPUC.org

Amazing and awesome points

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collos25 says...
3:39pm Wed 6 Feb 13

Albion. wrote:
collos25 wrote:
Nobody asked me whether I wanted these extra dummies.What we need is a force that is well trained and not corrupt and with less hierarchy.
I thought you lived in Germany?
Whats its got to do with you I have a house in BFD owned by me I have a house in Germany owned by me.If you have nothing constructive to say stay quite and read your Beano.

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RollandSmoke says...
4:16pm Wed 6 Feb 13

The problem is not police numbers but rather the fact that some of the laws they are enforcing are outdated and unjustified. People are literally dieing to stay on the right side of the law. A cursory glance at the headlines will show that a great deal of police time is spent stopping people growing a plant that has never directly caused anyone to die to deny people an alternative to alcohol and dangerous prescription drugs with the only justification being a small potential for health problems that I fail to see as anything that should concern the police.

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Albion. says...
4:18pm Wed 6 Feb 13

collos25 wrote:
Albion. wrote:
collos25 wrote:
Nobody asked me whether I wanted these extra dummies.What we need is a force that is well trained and not corrupt and with less hierarchy.
I thought you lived in Germany?
Whats its got to do with you I have a house in BFD owned by me I have a house in Germany owned by me.If you have nothing constructive to say stay quite and read your Beano.
Rather a rude response to a simple and pertinent question.
Actually I had already commented on the topic, there are two threads running on it.
I fully support the police and support this move to increase their numbers, I certainly wouldn't insult them by referring to them as "extra dummies".

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ANY WHERE BUT HERE says...
4:54pm Wed 6 Feb 13

I'l pay double, to not have them.

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piper56 says...
5:21pm Wed 6 Feb 13

i think we should get the best out of the officers we have before wasting money on 44 more taking into account the wages and pensions and the early retirement i dont think we need them

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Not so simple says...
8:37pm Wed 6 Feb 13

Albion. wrote:
collos25 wrote:
Albion. wrote:
collos25 wrote:
Nobody asked me whether I wanted these extra dummies.What we need is a force that is well trained and not corrupt and with less hierarchy.
I thought you lived in Germany?
Whats its got to do with you I have a house in BFD owned by me I have a house in Germany owned by me.If you have nothing constructive to say stay quite and read your Beano.
Rather a rude response to a simple and pertinent question.
Actually I had already commented on the topic, there are two threads running on it.
I fully support the police and support this move to increase their numbers, I certainly wouldn't insult them by referring to them as "extra dummies".
Erm some are extra dummies. There's an officer on another article today who compounded an insured vehicle.

There is also senior detective recently busted and dealt with for trying to sell leveson related inquiry details for money etc...I Beleive this person is now a criminal!

Don't forget our old pal Mr Bettison and the hillsborough fiasco.

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Walruss says...
5:05am Thu 7 Feb 13

Let's hope that there is somebody there who can teach them honesty and integrity.

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Apollo says...
10:11am Thu 7 Feb 13

Walruss wrote:
Let's hope that there is somebody there who can teach them honesty and integrity.
Their parents?

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