Proposed budget ‘will keep officers on the street’

Plans to use a second homes tax windfall to tackle antisocial behaviour and drug and alcohol misuse in town and city centres have been unveiled by Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

Plans to use a second homes tax windfall to tackle antisocial behaviour and drug and alcohol misuse in town and city centres have been unveiled by Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

Alison Hernandez sets out how she plans to invest an additional £1m to expand the Street Focus approach piloted in Torquay in Police and Crime Panel papers published today.

The additional revenue will be made available after Devon and Cornwall councils decided to increase in council tax on second homes by 100% from April 2025.

In addition the Commissioner is proposing a 4.99% increase on the police precept – the element of council tax which part funds policing. Currently Band D households in Devon and Cornwall pay £27.45 a month over 10 months (if paid monthly) this will rise to £28.82.

The Commissioner said: “The second homes windfall, combined with this increase to the monies raised locally, will enable us to mitigate against the rising cost of policing and challenges like the increase in national insurance which will have to be met.

“Other forces are making the difficult decision to cut police staff numbers and put more sworn officers in back-office positions, that is not where I think they should be and it’s not where the public want them. These officers need to be on our streets where they can bear down on crime and antisocial behaviour.”

The budget will be considered by members of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel on Friday, January 31. The meeting at Council House, Plymouth, is open to the public and streamed online. For more details click here.