Police and Crime Commissioner report

The Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan 2023-27 is about protecting our people, particularly the vulnerable, and working ever more closely with local communities. The plan was produced in close co-operation with the Chief Constable and sets out our vision for policing in South Wales. It continues to provide a clear emphasis on prevention, early intervention and prompt, positive action. The Plan sets out how we will deal with crime and harm including violence against women, domestic violence and abuse and sexual violence, internet enabled crime, child sexual exploitation and the exploitation of those who are most vulnerable.

The new Police Officers provided through the Government’s national commitment are welcomed but it means that a high proportion of the workforce are new in service, and it does nothing to address the loss of over a third of the Police Grant from the Home Office since 2012. 

Apart from funds for the new officers, the Police Grant for 2024/25 was another flat cash settlement with minimum allowance for inflation or other cost pressures. There is a funding gap of £16.6m in South Wales Police’s budget after £9m of savings already built into the budget. We used to receive £3m a year as a grant towards capital projects but that has ended, and all capital expenditure has to be financed entirely by our own revenue funds. We are also disadvantaged to the tune of £1m annually with respect to training costs, compared to Forces in England. 

The precept has to cover these gaps, on top of the £72m recurring savings (cuts) we have delivered since 2010. Given all these challenges the result is an increase in the Police Precept of £28.20 a year (£2.35 a month) for band D properties (our precept is now at the Welsh average), while most people will pay much less than this. The Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales has set the council tax at £352.67 for a Band D property, contributing £180.3m towards the £387m budget for a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week police service.

Despite the financial challenges, we have consistently improved performance and reduced aspects of crime and harm, delivering almost £1billion of social and economic benefit to the people of South Wales over the past decade. Performance has also been recognised by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary: 

“South Wales has the best visibility across 43 constabularies, whilst it is ranked 1st in the country for positive outcome rates for violence with injury and 1st for taking action on sexual offences”.