[Acrylic-bob]

That fine body of men and women, Lancashire Constabulary, has persuaded the county to rubber stamp an increase in its portion of the County Precept; that part of your council tax that goes direct to Lancs CC. The government say that increases this year should be kept to 5% or they will impose a cap. Lancashire Constabulary want 7.95%.

What do they want it for I hear you ask? They want to employ an extra 84 officers and nine civilian staff. This comes on top of an extra 50 officers and 24 civilian staff paid for by last year's above inflation increase.

What do they want all this extra manpower for? Chief Constable, Steve Finnigan, says that it is to "...combat terrorism and serious organised crime to the standard we would aspire to..."

Perhaps if Chief Constable Finnigan had fewer of his officers hanging around in laybys entrapping motorists with speed cameras and radar guns day after day after day, he might find that he had more than enough men to tackle the terrorist threat to Lancashire. Indeed, he might find that he had more than he knew what to do with.