- Gloucestershire’s new Police and Crime Commissioner ((PCC) Chris Nelson is carrying out an urgent review of the Constabulary’s finances
- All discretionary spending and projects not under contract will be put on hold as part of the review
- Setting the budget is one of the PCC’s key responsibilities and the Constabulary has around £150m to meet its commitments during the current financial year
- Nelson said, “My primary aim is to reduce crime and I am sure there are areas where money and resources can be moved around to achieve that”.
Gloucestershire’s new Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Chris Nelson will carry out a detailed review of the Constabulary’s finances as the first stage of delivering on his election promises.
The Constabulary’s gross expenditure for the current financial year is estimated to be around £150m.
In one of his first moves since taking office, Mr. Nelson has ordered a review of all discretionary spending as well as all projects not yet under contract as he seeks to fund his own plans, which include recruiting 300 more officers, adopting a zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour and making it easier for the public to contact the police.
He said, “My primary aim is to reduce crime and I am sure there are areas where money and resources can be saved or re-directed to achieve that.
“I see lots of issues with the budget so I have set in train a whole series of work streams and actions to try and find if the budget is as well constructed as it possibly could be to identify efficiencies where possible.
“Once we have identified sufficient financial headroom, I want to start the recruitment process to provide 300 more police officers and PCSOs. This is an urgent requirement, as it takes a considerable amount of time to recruit and train officers.
“I will keep an open mind but the whole point of the exercise is to prioritise what is most important and what will enable me to keep my promises to those who voted for me”.
