DORSET residents are being asked to pay another £24 a year for police after a series of unprecedented warnings about the force’s financial future.

The county’s police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill will ask locals to increase the precept by £2 a month - the maximum allowed by the government.

He said he is ‘reluctant’ to turn to the public for more funds.

“A few weeks ago, the chief constable and I shared our concern that, without significant additional investment, Dorset Police would be unable to provide the current levels of service to our communities,” he said.

“As a result of last week’s funding settlement, we now believe there is the flexibility - providing that we continue to relentlessly pursue efficiencies - to ensure the force will no longer be required to make the cuts we had feared.

“I remain immensely frustrated that the financial burden has, once again, been passed to local taxpayers, and it is important that members of the public are under no illusion: this is a short-term fix that barely covers the need.

“The home secretary’s announcement does not address the considerable, and underfunded, police pension issue, new training regime and inflationary and pay pressures, all of which had been thrust upon national policing.

“Nor does it revere the eight years of austerity that has left Dorset Police with the lowest number of officers since 1981.

“Nevertheless, the flexibility that an extra £2 per month on the precept provides would leave us in a much better position than was feared just a few months ago.”

Chief Constable James Vaughan will continue to seek further savings in 2019/20 so Dorset Police can reinvest in rural and marine crime and tackling ‘county lines’ drug networks.

“The force is also committed to the introduction of volunteer police cadets, improvements to youth justice an a ‘bobby van’ scheme to help protect the vulnerable,” Mr Underhill said.

To have your say, visit dorsetpoliceprecept.com