Thames Valley Police has decided to increase the council tax it collects by 6.22 per cent in an effort to provide ‘strong local policing to keep streets safe.’
The purpose-built centre in Bicester will become the main forensics hub for the force, containing laboratories, new digital technologies and dedicated training facilities.
Residents in Oxfordshire are being asked to have their say on plans to increase the policing portion of council tax to fund Thames Valley Police.
Jason Hogg, who currently serves as Deputy Chief Constable, is set to step up to the top job when incumbent John Campbell retires at the end of March 2023.
The political balance of a group of councillors tasked with holding to account Thames Valley’s Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has again been called into question.
It forms part of a broader plan to roll out the same equipment across the Thames Valley region, which also covers Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, in a bid to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Waiting times to get through to a call handler in Thames Valley, the region that covers Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, have rocketed since June 2021.