The WPAG has responded to the Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s invitation to send comments about his Proposals to increase the Council Tax Policing Precept for 2018 . That Response has been published separately.

It is recommended that you first understand the background to his Proposals, and you have a choice of going to his official website and reading his Open Letter  or reading the letter which members of the Police OWL system (Online Watch Link) received on 22nd January 2018 which provides an excellent summary and which we have copied below for your convenience.

The following is an OWL message from the P&C Commissioner dated 22nd January 2018. It is very easy to join OWL. If you have not already done so – simply go to www.owl.co.uk

Dear Watch Member,

I hope that you have had a good start to 2018.

Before Christmas I sent a message regarding my proposals for this year’s council tax precept to be spent on policing.

The government recently gave Police and Crime Commissioners the flexibility to apply an increase equivalent to £1 a month on the average household to fund local policing. I propose to take advantage of this flexibility and raise the precept by this amount which is £12 a year.

Many of you have taken the time to share your views with me on this, for which I am grateful. With just over a week to go before I present my proposal to the Police and Crime panel, I want to give those of you who have not had a chance to share comments another opportunity to do so.

In Hertfordshire, this additional funding will be spent on protecting neighbourhood policing teams and investing in additional police officers for Hertfordshire’s specialist Operation Scorpion units to help tackle burglary, anti-social behaviour and drug-related crime.

More resources will also be placed into the Force Control Room, where 999 and 101 calls have risen dramatically since the terrorist attacks in Manchester and London.

There will also be more funding for crime investigation teams to make sure that victims of crime receive the best care possible.

You can read my Open Letter attached to this email, or at the website, where you can also see the press release and FAQs.

Under these proposals, Hertfordshire will continue to have one of the lowest council tax levels in the whole country. I welcome your views on this proposal – please email :    or write to:

Precept Consultation
Police and Crime Commissioner
Harpenden Police Station

15 Vaughan Road
Harpenden
Hertfordshire
AL5 4GZ