HAMPSHIRE Police Authority's finance committee is recommending a budget for 2006/07 that will allow improvements to be made to services across the board from community policing to protective services, such as counter-terrorism and cross border crime. The recommended net increase of £9.8 million will fund an extra 170 police officers, 514 police community support officers (PCSOs) and 218 other police support staff over the next two years to make improvements in neighbourhood policing and community safety and to provide a full range of protective services. Efficiency and other savings of £7.5m have been found to help reduce the additional costs down to the £9.8m net increase. The recommended growth proposals include investment to help with the implementation of the government's neighbourhood policing initiative. The aim of this initiative is to make communities feel safe and secure by reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in their local areas through dedicated local teams of police officers and PCSOs and stronger relationships between local people and the police. The proposed budget also makes provision for an additional 514 PCSOs, with 219 of these to be recruited by March 2007. The new PCSOs will help to reduce crime and disorder and increase public reassurance through the provision of more high visibility patrols. The authority and force have been fighting against government plans to merge police forces following the publication of the Home Office report Closing the Gap, which stated that the current structure of policing in England and Wales was not fit for purpose in the 21st Century. The planned investment in Hampshire's protective services will prove, the authority believes, that the constabulary is able to face the challenges of the future and stand alone as a 'strategic force'. These proposals amount to a total budget of £269.7m for 2006/07, and a council tax rise of 4.98 per cent which equates to an average Band D rate of £119.43, an increase of £5.67 or 11 pence a week for the police section of the council tax bill. Councillor Adrian Collett, chairman of Hampshire Police Authority's finance committee, said: "We are looking to invest in improving policing for the residents of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and making the two counties even safer places to live. "We plan do this in a number of ways, including employing additional police officers and significantly increasing the number of PCSOs we have patrolling the streets. "The aim of the 2006/07 budget is also to ensure that Hampshire Constabulary will have sufficient capacity and capability to provide the full range of protective services together with neighbourhood policing, which will not only allow a very welcome improvement in services, but will also mean that the constabulary meets the requirements to stand alone as a 'strategic force'. "I hope residents will be supportive of our plans which will improve policing and help protect their force, all within a council tax increase of just 11 pence a week." The recommendations of the finance committee will be discussed by Hampshire Police Authority at its next meeting next Tuesday when it will agree the final budget and council tax increase.