MERSEYSIDE Police will accelerate their recruitment drive to bring 500 new officers into training over the next year, more than double the Government’s target.

This means the force will have nearly 4,000 officers by March 2021, with the aim of putting new officers in every area of the region once they have completed their training, including a new team of schools officers.

The plans were confirmed as the force budget was set today at a public meeting held by the Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy and attended by the Chief Constable Andy Cooke QPM at her offices in Mather Avenue Police Training Centre in Liverpool.

Funding for the recruitment drive has come from central government, who have allocated an additional £23m in direct grant, supported by extra money provided from local people through their council tax which has enabled the Commissioner to meet inflationary pressures.

The additional funding puts Merseyside Police in the best possible position to recruit 200 new officers, as expected by central government, while also accelerating the force’s recruitment drive so they can recruit a further 300 new officers over the next 12 months.

Today’s budget announcement follows last week’s meeting of the Police and Crime Panel, the body which scrutinises the commissioner’s work, at which they endorsed plans to increase the local council tax after hearing from the commissioner and the chief about their commitment to bring extra officers on to the streets of Merseyside.

This approved police precept increase equates to £10 a year on a Band D property and brings Merseyside Police’s annual resources for 2020/21 to £359million.

The crime commissioner said: “This is marvellous news for Merseyside. Through the generosity of local people and the support of the Police and Crime Panel, the Chief Constable and I can now increase the number of officers patrolling the streets of Merseyside.

“An extra 500 officers will make a huge difference. We know people want to see more bobbies on the beat and this will enable the Chief Constable to put extra officers into every area of Merseyside. It will also enable him to re-start much of the vital crime prevention initiatives that were gradually eroded by years of cuts, including putting officers back into our schools to work with young people and deter them from getting involved in crime."

The increase would see anyone in a Band A category household, the lowest category but the one paid by the majority of households across Merseyside, paying an extra 13p a week or £6.67 a year. For a Band D property, it equates 19p a week or £10 a year.