Policing Rutland in 2024-5 will cost £1.08 a month extra for a Band D property, or about £13 a year.

A report, covering the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland area, and published ahead of this week's police and crime panel meeting - set to take place on 1 February 2024 - shows that the cost of policing the area for 2024-5 has been agreed at £243.15 million.

Police and crime commissioner for Leicestershire and Rutland, Rupert Matthews, said: "We have seen many improvements to service delivery over the last three years.

"We now have 332 additional officers boosting our neighbourhood policing teams. We have introduced the highly effective rural crime team.

"We have put renewed energy into tackling retail crime and we are focusing efforts to improve road safety.

"We are investing in long term solutions instead of short-term headline grabbers.

"People told me that they wanted to see more police officers in their community, they wanted better support for victims and those at risk, and they wanted crime to be prevented.

"We have made giant strides to meet these expectations and I am determined to maintain this progress."

Rupert Matthews, PCC for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Image credit: PCC Rupert Matthews.

A 2023 public survey of 2,283 Leicestershire and Rutland residents found 58% were prepared to pay more tax towards policing.

To prevent reduction of police numbers, he added, it had been 'reluctantly agreed' to increase the precept by £13 for a Band D property despite 'household budgets being tightly stretched'.

The 2024-5 budget also funds community safety partnerships to tackle anti-social behaviour, knife and other violent crime, to support victims of domestic abuse and to open community drop-in centres.