READER’S LETTER: Crewe residents can’t afford police tax rise

Dear Editor
The Police Council Tax in Cheshire has gone up by 7.3%, 13.6%, 5% , 7.1% and 4.4% over the last five years.

Now, amazingly, the Tory Police Commissioner wants to increase the Police Council Tax by a huge 6.4% this year.

The residents in Crewe are already struggling to heat their homes, feed their family and put petrol in their car.

If they have received a pay increase at all, it was far, far below the rate of inflation.

How are Crewe residents supposed to pay these ever increasing, huge Council tax increases?

And to make matters much worse they are paying for a Police service that has totally failed them.

Their record on solving crime is appalling.

In Cheshire East overall, 80% of robbery, 94% of burglary and 98% of bike and personal theft went unsolved over the last three years.

These are the worst performance figures in Cheshire East EVER.

In Crewe SW and Wistaston, over the last three years (6/2019-5/2022), Cheshire Police failed to solve a SINGLE burglary.

Crewe is the most dangerous major town in Cheshire.

Crime in Crewe is 48% higher than the regional crime rate in the North West.

Crime in Crewe is 22% higher than the national crime rate.

Despite this the Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts said: “Burglary has always been a priority for Cheshire Constabulary and as such we will always respond in person when a person’s home is targeted.”

How can it be a priority when a whopping 94% of burglaries go undetected?

The Chief Constable also said: “The Cheshire Constabulary is one of the top performing forces in the country in terms of detecting burglaries both in homes and businesses.”

If Cheshire Police is one of the top performing forces in the country in terms of detecting burglaries, then I dread to think what the rest of the country is like.

The Chief Constable is living in a fantasy world and is simply unwilling to recognise his appalling performance figures on detecting robbery, burglary and theft.

If he can’t dramatically improve performance in these areas then he and the Police Commissioner should be sacked and replacements appointed who can deliver on keeping us safe from robbery, burglary and theft and all other crime.

Cheshire Police need to use the huge resources and income they already have far more efficiently and stop milking the Council taxpayers of Cheshire every year with enormous increases.

Yours

Cllr Brian Silvester
Leader
Putting Crewe First