Residents are being asked how much more they are willing to pay towards policing in Derbyshire to make their communities safer and stronger.
Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts has consulted residents, partners, businesses and the charity and voluntary sector organisations at every opportunity since her resounding victory in last year’s elections.
Now, as she prepares her budget for 2025/26, the Commissioner is once again empowering the public to shape the course of her safety work over the next 12 months, asking them how much more they are willing to pay to sustain the progress being made to date to increase their safety.
The PCC set an ambitious and robust first budget, ensuring resources were directed to where they were needed most and made the greatest impact on the public’s priorities.
Thanks to this investment, there has been a reduction of 11% in anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents across the county from 2023/24 to 2024/25. Derbyshire has also taken the national lead in addressing public concerns about illegally ridden e-scooters, seizing more than 600 devices since a new enforcement policy was launched almost a year ago.
Meanwhile, officer numbers have increased, and Neighbourhood Policing has been enhanced with the recent roll out of the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. The force has already recruited its share of 35 extra recruits for 2025/26 through the scheme.
Additionally, the PCC secured £641k from the Home Office to tackle serious violence with partners in 2025/26, with educational visits and early intervention and prevention projects underway countywide.
The challenge is to sustain this year’s progress and to ensure the force has sufficient resources to tackle new and existing areas of harm and risk that increase fear of crime and make people feel unsafe.
In listening to the public, the PCC has identified key areas for investment in this year’s budget. These include maintaining officer and PCSO levels, increasing the visibility and effectiveness of the force’s neighbourhood policing teams through hotspot policing patrols, stepping up proactive enforcement to tackle speeding and dangerous driving and enhancing the investigation of high-harm crimes including serious sexual offences, serious violence and other violence against women and girls (VAWG) offences.
Other key areas of focus will be swifter justice, online criminality, improved services for victims, continued targeted work to reduce serious violence and knife crime and investment in new technology including call handling and digital contact platforms.
Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts said: “It is vital to me that our communities feel heard, empowered and understood. All my decisions to this point have been guided and shaped by the people and communities I serve, and this year’s budget is no different.
“The funding landscape is not getting any easier. Difficult decisions still need to be made about where investment is targeted to reduce harm, increase safety and improve how safe and secure people feel.
“Significant progress has been made already, and it is important the Chief Constable has the resources necessary to sustain performance, tackle the public’s ongoing priorities and take Derbyshire from strength to strength.
“I cannot over emphasize how valuable residents’ insights are, and the role they play in making our county safer and stronger. Please help my team and our partners by contributing your views to steer our path throughout 2025/26.”
Around 60% of the annual policing budget is funded via a central grant from the Home Office with the remaining 40% coming from the money local people pay towards policing in their council tax bill – known as the Precept.
The exact level of central grant – the policing settlement – will be announced by the government in December.
PCCs are responsible for setting a precept every year, although the Government can limit this rate of increase.
The Budget Consultation for 2026/27 is now open: https://forms.office.com/e/56V21SFRzP.
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