Officers talking to smiling PCC Matthew Barber

PCC unveils local policing budget prioritising community safety, protecting people and property

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Matthew Barber’s spending plans for Thames Valley Police will keep council tax rise to just 27p per week for a Band D household

Matthew Barber, Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, has set out his local policing budget for 2025/26.

The budget for Thames Valley Police will rise to nearly £600m in the next financial year with nearly half of that funding having to be provided by local council tax payers. The increase of £14 a year in Council Tax (based on a Band D property) will provide additional investment to help cut crime and catch more criminals. This is against a backdrop of additional costs of £8m to cover increased National Insurance contributions and £30m additional costs from inflation.

In setting the budget, Matthew Barber said: “My priorities for Thames Valley Police are cutting crime and catching criminals. As your Police and Crime Commissioner, it is my responsibility to ensure that the police have the resources they need to deliver on those priorities.

“Setting the policing budget remains a complex process and is particularly challenging this year given the uncertainty of funding from the Home Office. This year, I will be setting the budget against the backdrop of an uncertain economic situation which is affecting households as well as police forces up and down the country.

“Despite seeing a cash increase in central Government funding, due to inflationary pressures it falls short of the amount necessary to maintain current levels of policing, let alone deliver the increases that we would all want to see in the Thames Valley. A rise in employer national insurance and lack of central funding for police pay rises add to this challenge.

“In order to maintain policing levels, keep communities safe and address the policing priorities of residents identified through my ongoing local crime survey, I have made the decision to increase Council Tax contributions by 27p per week for a Band D property.

“This increase will ensure that we can continue to put more police officers into frontline roles to protect communities, people and property across the Thames Valley.

“Previous investment made through last year’s policing budget has enabled us to recruit more frontline police officers across the Force, alongside the delivery of a Thames Valley wide programme to help tackle and deter young people from knife crime.

“This investment has also supported the work taking place through my Retail Crime Strategy, where we have seen charges for shoplifting more than double in a year, as well as the delivery of a Thames Valley CCTV partnership which aims to deliver improved, sustainable CCTV provision to help detect and deter crime and keep the public safe.”

Over 2,700 residents responded to the ongoing local crime survey (7 January 2024 to 3 January 2025) to help shape the budget priorities.

The budget will be presented to the Police and Crime Panel today (Friday 24th January) before being finalised.

Notes to Editors

Proposed Council Tax bands for 2025/26 are as follows:

Band2025/26 £Band2025/26 £
A188.85E346.23
B220.33F409.18
C251.80G472.13
D283.28H566.56

Participants were asked ‘If council tax increases, which areas would you most like to see your contribution used for?’ The following table demonstrates which areas were selected the most times:

Area you would like to see your contribution used forAmount of times selected by respondents
Neighbourhood Policing – increase uniformed visibility in the community1,923
Crime Prevention – work at community level to support local efforts to reduce neighbourhood crimes1,724
Police Investigation – improve the quality of police investigations with better outcomes and improved satisfaction amongst victims1,679
Response times – Improve response times and meet increased demand for policing service1,665
Road Safety – roads policing (tackling drink/drug driving and speeding), improve ways for residents to send evidence of dangerous driving such as dash cam footage, community speedwatch1,630
Drug Offences – disrupt drug markets and county lines1,630
Serious and Organised Crime – ensure the police force has the necessary resources to respond to serious and organised crime threats (firearms, drugs, child criminal exploitation, fraud, economic crime, cyber, modern slavery and human trafficking)1,582
Safety of women and girls – specific investment to tackle violence against women and girls1,559
Business Crime (including shoplifting) – more work with local businesses such as providing targeted crime prevention advice.1,505
Fraud/Online crime – cyber-crime and digital investigation capabilities1,479
Reporting crime – make it easier to report crime on 101 or online and enhance call handling capacity1,446
Technology – modern technology to enable front line policing to respond more efficiently and effectively to crime and to calls for help1,432
Rural Crime – work to understand and respond to the specific needs of rural communities1,379
Victims Services – increased support for victims of personal and high harm crimes such as rape and sexual assault1,365
Special Constabulary/police volunteers – providing better equipment and enhanced training and support for Citizens in Policing1,304
Counter Terrorism – more activity to pursue, prevent, protect and prepare for counter terrorism incidents.1,278
Police buildings – buildings and equipment to ensure they are fit for purpose1,249
Hate Crime – prevention work and encouraging / supporting the reporting of all forms of hate crime1,238

For further information about the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan or finances, visit www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk.

For further details about the Police & Crime Panel meeting, visit https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/community-and-safety/thames-valley-police-and-crime-panel/.