For a few coppers more as Atherstone council tax payers help police cut priority crime and take 'most wanted' off the streets

FORCE EXPLAINS 19p-A-WEEK RISE IN POLICE PRECEPT PART OF ANNUAL BILL ALLOWS 'MORE FLEXIBILITY WITH RESOURCES AND TARGETS WHAT MATTERS TO THE PUBLIC'

TINY rises in police-directed funding from council tax payers in Atherstone and district have helped form a new patrol support team which has drastically reduced "priority" crime in taking a 'high-risk' list of offenders off the streets.

More than 75 arrests have seen North Warwickshire police's most-wanted numbers cut from 14 to just one.

And Chief Superintendent Ben Smith explained the specific increase in the police precept part of local council tax bills has allowed the force to be "more flexible with its resources and focus on areas that really matter to the public".

His comments refer to this month's new North Warwickshire council tax charge for 2020/21.

Most Atherstone and district residents will be paying around £2,000 council tax this coming year which includes a £9.99 rise for the services provided on behalf of the Warwickshire police and crime commissioner Philip Seccombe – up from £227.98 to £237.97 a year – which is the equivalent of just 19p a week.

Those extra few pennies a week have been a game changer for the police with an "increase in officer numbers as a result of rises in local council tax", added Chief Supt Smith.

Vehicle crime in Atherstone and across North Warwickshire is down nearly a third since the launch of the Local Policing Patrol Support Team at the turn of the year, led by Sergeant Steven Davies and a team of six officers supporting uniformed colleagues.

In the first three weeks of 'Operation Alternator' the team reviewed 308 vehicle offences and found 27 of them as "hotspots" in North Warwickshire and neighbouring Nuneaton.

And the successes of the team – which the force says has meant having to be"extremely flexible" with working arrangements to maximise results – have not been limited to reducing vehicle crime.

It has been able to concentrate on some of the longest outstanding offenders – and the most serious – including domestic abuse.

Aside from almost eradicating the high-risk category, arrest warrants are down from 48 to seven in North Warwickshire.

These legal orders, issued by the courts, allow officers to arrest someone who is living in the community but has failed to appear before magistrates for offences ranging from theft to the most serious in society.

Chief Supt Smith added: "As the team was created to address priority issues, the officers were recruited as they all have a strong desire to make a significant contribution to reducing crime."

The North Warwickshire team has produced such "tremendous results" that the Warwickshire force has decided to invest in an identical unit in the south of the county, he said.