ONE-HUNDRED extra police officers are set to be recruited as part of a massive crackdown on burglary, drugs and knife crime.

They will be paid for with a 12.4 per cent hike in Avon & Somerset Constabulary’s precept, which will mean a £24 rise for an average band D property.

It is the first time in a decade that the force’s frontline manpower will increase, following years of cuts.

The crackdown, codenamed Operation Remedy, will run for three months from April to June, but it is hoped the additional resources will have lasting effects on how crimes are tackled.

The Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Panel last week approved the request by Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Sue Mountstevens for the inflation-busting rise in the precept, which is the part of the council tax bill that pays for policing in the region.

The £24 increase for 2019/20, from £193.81 to £217.81, is the maximum rise PCCs are allowed to make this year, following a recent government announcement that signalled the end of austerity measures.

It will generate an extra £15 million for the force and is being specifically used to recruit the 100 additional officers and for Operation Remedy.

Ms Mountstevens told the meeting: “What this is going to mean is a radical change to what we’ve done before.

“We have reduced our officers year after year, and therefore we’ve lost proactivity.

“The Government has now realised that you can’t keep pushing the police to tackle increased crime with a reduction of resources.”

The panel heard that without the £24 average precept hike, more cuts would have to be made instead of investing in new officers and the major crackdown on burglary, drugs and knife crime.

It means the number of police officers in Avon & Somerset Constabulary will increase to 2,751, although that is still far below 2010 when it was 3,300.

Ms Mountstevens said Operation Remedy would see more high-profile operations, as well as focusing on victims and ensuring investigations were followed through.

“It’s the first time in a decade we have increased the number of officers. That will take time,” she said. “Burglary, drugs and knife crime are areas that people are most concerned about. They are all connected.

“Because of cuts, police have been less proactive. Residents are very aware of that and the police are equally frustrated.”

Mendip councillor John Parham, who was the only panel member to vote against the precept rise, said the system was ‘inherently unfair’ because most people in Bristol paid less yet received more police resources, whereas the opposite was true for Somerset residents.

“People in Somerset will pay considerably more per head than people in Bristol,” he said.

“When you compare that to spending on policing, Bristol swallows up hugely more resources than gets spent in rural areas.

“There is no guarantee that the residents of Mendip will see significant improvements in policing as a result.

“If it had been demonstrated to me that they would, then I would vote in favour of this, but it hasn’t.”

ADAM POSTANS

Local democracy reporter