You can have 100 more cops for a fiver a year

ONE hundred extra police officers would cost the people of Merseyside less than £5 per household a year.
The Police Authority is putting the final touches to next year’s budget.
The extra 100 officers on the front line would mean the average council tax rising by only 8p a week.
For a band A property, most homes in Merseyside, it will mean a rise of just £4.25, less than the average cost of two pints of lager. For a band D home it rises to an extra £6.38.

COMMENT.

For once this is a good news article. The police along with the council have stated that Merseyside crime figures are down. I feel myself that this is a bit overstated, but I will never disagree with putting more "proper police" where they are needed and that's on the streets.

The obvious places where more are needed is Norris Green and Croxteth, it will be interesting as to where these extra police are deployed. Police Authority chairman Bill Weightman said: “We have a commitment to putting extra officers on our streets. In 2005 we said we wanted 600 extra officers – with this influx we will have provided 410 of those 600". Well if they put the extra financing into this commitment and less emphasis on the "plastic police", the community support officer, who instill you with as much confidence as a traffic warden hovering around your car, they may make some inroads into hitting the magic 600. Watch this space.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/02/15/you-can-have-100-more-cops-for-a-fiver-a-year-100252-20480514/