Runnymede Vote for more Bobbies on the Beat
The Runnymede Liberal Democrats closely won a motion at the Runnymede Borough Council’s Full Council Committee on Thursday 29th February 2024 to:
“Call on the Leader of the Council to write to the Home Secretary expressing this Council’s view that this needlessly political role (of Police and Crime Commissioner) should be abolished, with the financial savings reinvested into frontline policing that would benefit Runnymede and all of Surrey.”
This motion was brought forward by Cllr Don Whyte, Leader of the Runnymede Liberal Democrat Group, to seek the better use of council tax receipts and to deliver more effective services for residents by abolishing the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
The Police & Crime Commissioner role has been in place since 2012 but the Liberal Democrats believe that the role is just not working.
We recognise the bravery and hard work of Surrey’s police officers, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and staff in trying to keep our local communities safe. However, despite Surrey residents paying the highest council tax in England for their police force, just 150 out of over 2,700 residential burglaries were solved in the year to August 2023, and there were over 6,500 vehicle crimes, representing an annual increase of over 14%.
Many more crimes could be prevented in Runnymede with an increased community policing presence. Many of our communities have seen a drop in police visibility and presence over recent years.
The operating budget for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, including staff and running costs, is £1,667,000, representing an increase of nearly 70% since March 2021.
According to Home Office statistics, the number of PCSOs on Surrey’s streets reduced by nearly 50% from 140 to just 71 in the two years since March 2021.
We believe that the costs of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner should be spent on providing frontline police services, funding the equivalent of around 70 new PCSOs.
Regardless of the incumbent’s political allegiances, it is clear that the role of Police and Crime Commissioner is neither delivering better results or necessary, and should be abolished, with its functions transferring to Police Boards, made up of local councillors and representatives from relevant local groups.
The Surrey Liberal Democrat PCC candidate, Paul Kennedy said “If elected I will cut the PCC's bloated office budget and spend the money on frontline policing. I will serve only one term, so I won't be campaigning for re-election, meaning I can be ambitious for policing not myself. I will focus on fixing the concerns in the PEEL (Police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy) inspection which showed 6 of the 9 ratings had deteriorated since 2021.
“My police and crime plan will provide a balanced scorecard with clear and measurable objectives that the police can report against not the current muddled slogans. My annual reports will give a fair assessment of police performance not a one-sided piece of self-promoting propaganda. And, instead of bypassing local councils, I will push police accountability down to local community level so as to bring back community policing, instead of the current top-down reporting to one politician.”
The motion was won at the February Full Council Committee with support from Labour, The Greens, the Runnymede Independent Residents Group, other Independent Councillors and a lone Conservative.