Warrington has more police officers now than in 2021

Data released by Cheshire Police as a result of a Freedom of Information request shows that there are now more officers available in Warrington than there were in July 2021.

The money paid by Warrington Borough Council to fund Cheshire Police has also increased since 2021, but officer numbers have grown at a faster rate.

Warrington Borough Council sends more than £1.5million to Cheshire Police per month (Image: Supplied)

According to the findings, Cheshire Police had 209 officers in Warrington on July 31, 2021.

On July 31, 2023, this rose to 281 officers.

At the same time, the money paid by Warrington Borough Council to Cheshire Police rose from £1,414,677 per month to £1,607,187 per month.

Broadly, this means that when officer numbers increased by 34.5 per cent, the precept rose by 13.6 per cent.

As per the figures, Warrington taxpayers were paying £6,768 per officer in July 2021 - in July 2023 this fell to £5,719.

When the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer, announced an increase in the amount of money Warrington would be sending to the police, Labour councillors in Warrington lashed out at the decision.

Speaking at the time, deputy leader of Warrington Borough Council, Cllr Cathy Mitchell, said: "We are forced to increase council tax because the Government does not provide adequate financial support - cutting our budget by nearly £69million per year."

Cllr Mitchell also said: "[Cheshire's PCC] has increased the police precept by an eye-watering 6.4 per cent, the tax is paid by all residents in Warrington and contributes towards policing costs across Cheshire.

"Crime in Cheshire has increased by 1.6 per cent in the period between October 2021 and September 2022.

"However, offences such as theft from the person and possession of an offensive weapon have increased by more than 40 per cent."

Cllr Cathy Mitchell blamed Cheshire Police's increasing precept for the rise in council tax across Warrington (Image: Warrington Borough Council)

Labour's candidate to become the county's next PCC, Dan Price, was not overjoyed at the news that Warrington now pays less money per officer for an increased number of officers.

Mr Price said: "It's no surprise that the Conservative Commissioner is increasing police officers.

"Tory cuts took police officers in Cheshire to a historic low of 1,919 in 2015. 

"The Conservatives are now playing catch up to deal with the surge in crime their strategy has created in Cheshire and across the country."

Cheshire's PCC, John Dwyer, told the Warrington Guardian: "Both this year and last year, residents in Warrington and across Cheshire overwhelmingly backed my proposal for the police precept in order to protect the improved levels of service we have seen from Cheshire Constabulary.

"People expect their police service to be contactable and responsive, and the police are getting to the phone faster and responding to both emergency and non-emergency incidents faster too.

“In Cheshire, we are also benefitting from the Police Uplift Programme. We now have more officers than ever on our current force boundaries, helping us to bolster community policing."

John Dwyer has championed the performance of Cheshire Police (Image: Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner)

Mr Dwyer added: “I talk about ensuring value for money in my Police and Crime Plan, and I am delivering.

"Out of 42 police forces with either a Mayor or Commissioner who sets a precept, Cheshire’s precept remains the 10th-lowest.

"When looking at the progress made over the past two years, I think that demonstrates great value for money for people in Warrington and across Cheshire.”

Warrington Borough Council were contacted for comment, though declined on the basis that it would be improper to comment on the efficiency of another public body.