Devon and Cornwall Police will get 232 more officers and staff

Council tax has been increased to fund a rise in policing numbers

A total of 232 Devon and Cornwall Police jobs are being created next year, partially funded by a rise in the policing element of council tax.

It will mean an extra 181 officers, 22 contact centre staff and 29 crime investigators in the next year.

A report from the Police and Crime Commissioner said 141 officers would be paid for by the government, and the remainder by a 6.7% precept rise.

The proposal was approved at the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel.

The extra money will also help pay for eight staff to assist professional standards investigations, a project to improve police data and a new drone team.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said people "want investment in crime prevention"

The 2021/22 budget, which will mean a rise of £14.92 in the annual police precept for a band D property, was approved by the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel which is made up of councillors from across the region.

Police officers and civilian staff will have their pay frozen in September, following a 2.5% increase in the current year under a national pay settlement.

Labour councillor Gareth Derrick said the rise in the council tax contribution to policing had risen by more than a third over the five years Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez had been in office, which was six times the rate of inflation, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). reported.

Ms Hernandez said it was "never easy to ask our communities to pay more for policing" but she was "confident" that the plan "is what residents of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly want."