RESIDENTS are being asked if they are willing to pay more in council tax to prevent 69 police officer jobs from being axed.

Lancashire police and crime commissioner Clive Grunshaw is currently consulting ratepayers as he faces having to find £43 million budget savings by 2020.

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Mr Grunshaw is asking people whether they would be willing to pay an extra two per cent, which would work out at 6p per week for a Band B property, and save 29 police officer jobs; an extra five per cent, which adds up to 15p per week for a Band B property, and save 69 police officers; or if they would not be prepared to accept any rates rise at all.

Mr Grunshaw said he got a “mainly positive response” from around 650 respondents at Lancashire Police’s Behind the Bade open day over the weekend.

He said he was also commissioning a market research company to undertake a comprehensive survey to gauge people’s willingness to pay more.

Mr Grunshaw acknowledged some residents might find it unfair to be asked to stump up extra cash in times of austerity but said he was being forced into a corner by government cuts which have slashed £63 million from the police budget since 2010.

He said: “My decision will be based on what the people of Lancashire tell me.

“If people don’t want an increase in their council tax that will be the decision.

“But there will be consequences to that and that will be a reduction in the number of police officers.

“I feel like the cuts have gone too far already.

“The government is putting people’s safety at risk and I want to do everything I can to ensure the people of Lancashire don’t suffer any further.”

Lancashire Police’s Chief Constable Steve Finnigan said the cuts were having an impact on his officers’ ability to investigate crime.

Mr Finnigan revealed that it will be rare for his officers to attend incidents like civil disputes between neighbour in the future.

He added: “No longer will we be sending a police officer to every single call or report of crime that we get.”