Police Funding 2024/2025

Overview

Dear Greater Manchester residents and businesses,

It is our priority to keep the people of Greater Manchester safe and we cannot do this without your help, as local taxpayers.

We are all facing financial challenges with the cost of living and providing essential services, and the police are no different.

Police funding comes from a central government grant (75%) and what we can raise locally from the police precept part of the council tax (25%). The police precept we set, which funds Greater Manchester Police (GMP), is one of the lowest in the country.

Central government funding has provided a 1.5 percent below inflation policing grant in real terms to Greater Manchester for the coming year. This shortfall also means that central government expect local areas to consult on the full increase to the police precept part of the council tax.

In addition to this, we are yet to reverse a decade of central government underfunding. Between 2011-19, the grant provided to GMP was cut in real terms by £215 million, which resulted in 2,000 fewer police officers and 1,000 fewer staff. Despite an increase of 1,622 new police officers since 2019 we are still yet to restore officer and staff numbers to where they were in 2010.

This leaves us with a funding gap.

With the help of what we raised through the precept last year, the Chief Constable has brought about significant improvements in policing. This has been recognised in GMP’s recent inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Police and Fire (HMICFRS) which demonstrates that GMP is now the most improved police force in the country.  But, whilst this progress is welcome, there remains much more to do.

Through the modest increase in the police precept last year, in addition to increasing police officer numbers, the funding has allowed us to invest in and achieve:

• Improved 999 and 101 call answering times. In November GMP were 1^st out of 43 police forces nationally for speed of answer for 999 calls - answering 999 calls in an average of just 2 seconds.
• Increased resources to front line policing resulting in GMP responding to 86% of emergency (Grade 1) incidents within the national target of 15 minutes, compared to 79% last year.
• Dedicated Neighbourhood Crime Teams and Prevention Hubs on each district which have reduced recorded neighbourhood crime levels by 11.5% and residential burglary by 25%.  Solved rates have improved significantly across all crime types.  GMP also launched a new Bee In the Loop community messaging system.
• Increased specialist resources and investigators to detect neighbourhood crime and sex offending, including such offences against children. GMP have increased arrests for domestic abuse cases by 61%, almost doubled the number of arrests made for stalking and harassment and are solving 10% of rape cases compared to 6.7% last year.
• Targeted operations, such as Op Vulcan in Cheetham Hill and Strangeways and in Piccadilly Gardens to tackle organised criminality, as well as Operation Avro on each district and the roads and transport system to crackdown on offences. As part of Operation Vulcan in Cheetham Hill and Strangeways alone GMP seized 1000 tonnes of counterfeit items which have been repurposed and recycled, and £520,000 in cash, and violent crime and public order offences reduced by 50%.

Your money really does make a difference. This year, we propose increasing the police precept by £10.11 per year (84 pence a month) for a B property (80% of households in Greater Manchester are in Bands A-C). For a Band D property, the increase would be by £13 per year (or £1.08 a month).

To be upfront, if we do not include a rise from the police precept, then we will have to look at other ways to close the gap in funding and this could mean cuts to the service that you receive.

With your support a £10.11 increase for a Band B property or £13 for a Band D property would provide an additional £10.5 million of funding to enable GMP to:

• Remain one of the best police forces in the country in answering 999 and 101 calls.
• Further improve response times for emergency and non-emergency incidents.
• Retain investment in neighbourhood policing and crime prevention teams to further reduce neighbourhood crimes.
• Invest a further 30 police officers into front line policing roles in 2024/25.
• Increase policing of the transport network through the launch of Operation Vulcan Network with increased policing presence in and around Piccadilly and Victoria stations.
• Invest in locking up more criminals and providing swifter and better services for victims and witnesses through investment in investigations and criminal justice units.
• Invest in prosecuting offenders with a focus on increasing arrests for sex offenders and ensuring justice for vulnerable victims.

Together and with your help, we aim to continue GMP’s positive journey and deliver to you the most effective police service in the UK.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester and Kate Green, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire

What happens next

The feedback that has been collected during this consultation will be used to inform the Mayor and Deputy Mayor's decision about how much the public should contribute to police funding in 2024/25.