Suffolk Police forecasts £4.2m budget underspend

Suffolk Police is forecasting a budget underspend of £4.2m due to lower costs and higher income than expected.

The force has an annual budget of £182m, of which about 85% is spent on staff pay.

Lower-than-expected energy, vehicle repair and technology costs, and reduced police officer hours made up the majority of the underspend.

Tim Passmore, the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner, said the force had not aimed for a surplus but it had provided financial resilience.

It also reported a higher-than-expected income of £1.7m from investment interest, fees and charges, including firearms licensing fees and charges for police services.

There were forecast overspends in catering, grounds maintenance, travel and insurance costs.

The force said it expected £900,000 to be saved on officer pay due to reduced hours, with a forecast underspend of £1.5m on non-pay related costs.

Passmore said he wanted to reassure people the police force was in a good position financially but this did not mean it could be "throwing money around".

He said: "I think it does put us in a better light for whatever may be the situation when it comes to inflation and energy prices in the future."

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