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Welcome to my February newsletter.
A new financial year is dawning and as is typical for this time of year we have been busy making final budget preparations for 2026/27 which you can read more about below. I would like to thank everyone who contributed views to my recent survey – your feedback really does make a difference in how we address any financial challenges and sustain the quality of service you rightly expect.
Policing is changing, and it’s more important than ever that you use your voice. Whatever the future holds, I will continue to put our communities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough first, ensuring you and your families are protected from all harm.
Police and Crime Commissioner
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
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Safe Communities
 Fight for fairer funding goes on
Members of the Police and Crime Panel have formally and unanimously backed the PCC’s budget for 2026/27 which supports his plans to build safer communities and maintain policing visibility.
The Commissioner thanked all those who responded to his survey expressing support for his proposed increase and pledged to continue his tireless fight to secure Cambridgeshire vital extra income and resources to keep pace with its rapidly growing population.
Faced with spiralling cost and demand pressures, the PCC said he had no choice but to implement the Government’s recommendations of a 5% increase in precept this year. The rise, which will see residents living in a Band D property paying an extra £14.94 this year (29p extra per week), will help maintain current record officer numbers and deliver the service the public expects.
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Early Intervention and Prevention
New national Road Safety Strategy unveiled
A new national blueprint has been launched with the aim of reducing deaths and serious injuries by 65% on the country’s roads by 2035.
As Chair of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s Road Safety Partnership, the PCC said he would pay close attention to the new safety measures and legislative changes outlined in the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy to understand what they would mean for road users locally.
The PCC has pledged to work with partner agencies to reduce serious injuries and deaths across the county, supporting a huge among of proactive work to prevent collisions although sadly, still too many people are killed or seriously injured.
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Tackling Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour
PCC responds to Police Reform White Paper
A major overhaul of the national policing model has been announced which could see the number of local forces in England and Wales shrink by about two thirds and the launch of a new National Police Service (NPS) to tackle serious cross-border crime.
While PCC Darryl Preston has welcomed the government’s plans for national delivery of some specialist capabilities and a long overdue review of police funding, he has expressed concerns over the impact of the proposed mergers on local accountability which he argued could weaken relationships between communities and undermine community police, trust and confidence.
Joint Response to HMICFRS Firearms Inspection Report
The three Police and Crime Commissioners for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire have welcomed independent and detailed scrutiny into the tri-force firearms licensing arrangement by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
In a joint statement, the police chiefs said they fully recognised the impact of unacceptable and systemic issues in the system and the impact this continues to have on licence holders and applicants and outlined their commitment to implementing the full suite of recommendations by HMICFRS as robustly and as quickly as possible.
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Thank you for reading my newsletter
Darryl Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
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