CALLS have been made to end police funding cuts because they are putting members of the public at risk.

Martin Terry, Southend councillor responsible for public safety, said a surge in antisocial behaviour in some areas of the town had reached worrying levels because police no longer have the resources to respond.

The Echo revealed yesterday how residents in the Sherwood Way and Whittingham Avenue areas of Southchurch were living in fear because a gang of up to 20 youths were terrorising the estate.

The gang are said to burgle homes, cause criminal damage and threaten elderly members of the community.

Responding to the reports, Mr Terry said: “Public safety is my responsibility and I have grave concerns about what is happening.

Something needs to be done.

Police are no longer able to deal with antisocial behaviour, but I hear stories all the time. I heard of a shopkeeper who hung on to a violent shoplifter for an hour before police came. The police can’t be in two places at once though.

“I am 100 per cent behind our police, but they have an impossible job. Cuts to their funding has to stop. Staffing levels are becoming a danger to both the police and the public. Police can’t be chasing round on blues and twos all the time. I think the next round of cuts that are coming will be a catastrophe.”

Mr Terry said it was time to think about a rise in the amount of funding police receive from council taxpayers, something currently being considered by Essex Police and Crime Commissioner Nick Alston.

Mr Terry said: “We have to challenge the cuts. We can’t be compliant all the time. People are saying they don’t call 101 anymore because they never get an answer. They say crime figures are down, but is that because people just aren’t bothering to report them anymore?

“It takes time for the effect of cuts to trigger a crime rise. We are feeling it now, but with more cuts I think we are facing a bow wave of crime approaching. The next round of cuts could see us losing hundreds more officers.

“I will be talking to Nick Alston about this.”

However, Roslyn Price, neighbourhood watch co-ordinator for Southchurch ward, which has seen a huge surge in antisocial behaviour, said she wasn’t convinced a rise in council tax would work.

She said: “We pay police with our council tax now and we aren’t getting a service. We should be getting a cut in council tax.

“If they were to guarantee and decent service for a council tax rise I think people wouldn’t mind paying that but I’m not sure that would be the case.”

 

Nick Alston in call for additional cash

THE police and crime commissioner for Essex wants to increase the amount residents pay for policing due to multi-million pound funding cuts.

Nick Alston, said he hopes to raise the police cut of council tax by up to 25 per cent, which would mean an increase of 75p for a band D property.

The force is expected to be hit with funding cuts of a whopping £63million in just four years, leading to concerns on what police will still respond to.

Mr Alston, who is stepping down next year, said: “Our police forces are funded from two major sources – around two-thirds of the budget comes from a Government grant, and the other one third from the policing precept – which is part of council tax.

“In each of my first three years, I have increased the policing precept by the maximum I have been allowed without triggering a referendum.

This amounted to an increase each year in council tax of about six pence per week for a Band D property."

He said Essex actually asked taxpayers for a fairly low contribution through council tax when compared to other forces and that he has argued for this to be increased.

He said: “Since around 83 pence in every pound of the policing budget is spent on the salaries of police officers, PCSOs and police staff, the anticipated cuts in central government funding of Essex Police of £63million by 2019-20 will clearly lead to many fewer people working for our police force.

“For the past year I have been calling for the cap on increases in the precept to be removed to enable PCCs to make a responsible judgement as to the level of council tax funding of policing in their force area. Here in Essex, my judgement is that I should seek to increase the precept by as much as 25 per cent, that is about up to 75p per week for a Band D property owner.”

Paul Van Looy, Independent councillor for St Luke's ward, believes people would pay more.

He claims antisocial behaviour and low-level crime has become the norm in Southend with drug dealing also taking place openly.

Mr Van Looy said he had personal experience of a lack of police resources when he saw an attack.

He said: “I go to the neighbourhood policing meetings and people just say they don’t bother calling police any more. I don’t bother if I see anything.

“We have one PCSO to cover Southchurch and St Lukes wards and that’s only an eight hour shift.”

He added: “If they were to ask for £1 a week more to give each ward a police officer I think people would be happy to pay that.

“At the moment police are too stretched.

“Drug dealers operate openly knowing there is no chance of police turning up. We have hit rock bottom.”