THAMES Valley’s police commissioner will raise concerns over funding and future uncertainty at a meeting today.

Anthony Stansfeld is expected to outline his funding fears as he delivers his annual update to a meeting of the police and crime panel in Aylesbury.

He will also use the time to discuss progress with his four-year police and crime plan, which highlights issues including vulnerability and serious organised crime.

In a report published ahead of today’s meeting, Mr Stansfeld says: “Having considered the delivery plans of both the force and those of my own office, I am reassured that there is an undiminished focus in continuing to deliver a wide range of positive outcomes during 2018/19 and beyond.

“However, the future funding of policing in Thames Valley continues to be a concern. While the force can be rightly proud of its successes that are highlighted in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary assessments, we are entering a phase where future funding of the service, along with increasing demands and complexities of modern policing, will inevitably create further challenge and uncertainty on the road ahead.”

Over the last seven years, £99m has been removed from TVP’s budget and a further £14.3m savings need to be made over the next three years.

This year, Mr Stansfeld raised the police portion of council tax, meaning that the average householder in Oxfordshire now pays £12 extra per year.

Mr Stansfeld does, however, note his optimism regarding the new Home Secretary.

He continues: “I am encouraged by the recent speech of Sajid Javid, the new Home Secretary, which underlined the importance of proper police funding and its correlation with the ability to fight crime.”

The commissioner will also reveal some statistical highlights of policing in the Thames Valley during 2017/18.

TVP answered more than 290,000 emergency (999) calls and 980,000 non-emergency (101) calls. Eighty per cent of 999 calls were answered within 10 seconds.

More than 31,000 people were arrested by the force, of which 11,000 were charged.

Police caught 1,800 drink drivers and 1,000 drivers under the influence of drugs.

Overall crime levels reported to TVP increased by 8.7 per cent in 2017/18, with 149.875 reported crimes. Based on the latest available figures, this compares to a national increase of 15 per cent.