THE region's Police and Crime Commissioner is asking residents to pay extra tax to help the force protect police officer jobs and recruit new armed officers.

The plea comes after Policing Minister Nick Hurd MP announced that PCCs could ask ratepayers to pay up to an extra £1 a month towards their police service through their council tax last month.

The government also announced the overall grant for the 43 forces in England and Wales would remain the same in cash terms for 2018-19 at £12.6bn - which has been blasted by the Merseyside Commissioner as a "real terms cut".

Since 2010, Merseyside Police has had to make cuts of £103m, with an estimated £18m still to make by 2021/22.

The Commissioner says if she does not win the support of residents, Merseyside Police will be left facing a further shortfall of more than £3.17m – the equivalent of 64 police officer posts.

Ms Kennedy said: “The sad truth is that this government has once again left police forces around the country facing a funding black hole.

"They have washed their hands of their responsibility and instead are shifting the burden of paying for the police on to the shoulders of local council taxpayers.

“By freezing the grant provided by central government at the 2017/18 rate - a reduction on the previous two years - the Policing Minister has imposed a real terms cut on the police budget as we contend with pay and inflationary pressures.

"His proposal is that I make up this shortfall by asking local taxpayers to pay more."

She added: “This is a step which I am reluctant to take, however, if I don’t raise the policing element of local council tax then Merseyside Police will be penalised and our communities adversely affected.

“This money will be used to save police officer jobs and help us to recruit 20 new armed officers who are needed to help tackling the scourge of serious and organised crime on Merseyside and to protect our communities.

“The government did not bother to ask people if they would be willing to contribute more for policing before they made this announcement – instead they arrogantly assumed that local residents could stump up the cash.

“I know finances are tight for a lot of people on Merseyside at the moment so I don’t ask for this tax rise lightly.”

St Helens Star:

Merseyside PCC Jane Kennedy

The Commissioner is holding a region-wide consultation asking people if they would be willing to contribute the extra funding.

The increase equates to approximately 15p a week or £8 a year for a Band A household - the lowest category and the amount paid by the majority of tax payers on Merseyside, increasing the police element of tax payers’ bills from £110.65 to £118.65 a year.

Even with this increase, the Commissioner and Chief Constable will still be forced to make savings of £7m over the next 12 months.

Ms Kennedy said: “Since 2015 the Government have assumed that Police and Crime Commissioners like myself will put up the council tax precept to minimise the impact of their cuts to funding.

"It is a move which comes from a government who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

“Any additional funding we can raise from the precept will not replace the 1,000 officers we have lost over the last seven years.

"However, it will mean that we will have 64 officers more by March 2019 than we would otherwise.

“In a climate of growing demands, rising crime and increasing calls for help from the public, I do not believe we can afford to lose any more officers.

“I am therefore forced to ask people on Merseyside if they would be willing to contribute that extra 15p a week to help protect vital frontline police services.”

People are invited to have their say at merseysidepcc.info by Sunday February, 4.

The Commissioner's roadshows throughout Merseyside to ask people for their views includes an appearance at Asda on Kirkland Street, St Helens on Friday, January 26 from 2pm to 4pm.