Police should get on their bikes, says councillor

A PARISH councillor had accused Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner of “whining” over his move to increase local council taxes to give policing more.

In a strongly-worded letter to Tony Lloyd, Councillor Robert Knotts, the chairman of Saddleworth Parish Council’s finance committee, says he is “vehemently opposed” to an increase in the police precept part of the tax bill.

He said police officers should get out on bicycles to cut the use of vehicles.

Mr Knotts, an independent councillor from Austerlands, said he is against the proposal to raise extra money for Greater Manchester Police in the light of a general funding shift towards the City of London and away from regional forces.

Councillor Knotts said: “The extra income generated by the increased precept from our 12,000 homes will not benefit the area in the slightest.”

He said Mr Lloyd pledged effective leadership and must have been aware of the Government’s budgetary pressures.

Councillor Knotts told Mr Lloyd: “Having campaigned to be elected on the basis of offering effective leadership you then start whining that your wish to increase the precept is not your fault but the Government’s.”

Councillor Knotts is seerious about his bicycle suggestion: “Replace petrol-diesel guzzling vehicles with more fuel-economical ones, reduce the number of cars and get police out on bicycles,” he told the commissioner.

“New York police did some years ago and crime levels dropped dramatically. Other national bodies have to reduce budgets and are doing so. Instead of whining that the blame lies elsewhere, do the job that you were elected to do — lead and find ways of reducing expenditure.”