The average householder will pay just 15p per week more next year for the services delivered by Dyfed- Powys Police after the Force's budget for 2008/09 was set on Monday. The overall budget had been developed over a period of many months and had involved intense lobbying of MPs and AMs to ensure that the public in the Dyfed-Powys area were getting a fair deal. This was all in the context of another extremely tight funding settlement set by central government, as the Force's director of finance and resources Andrew Bevan explained: "The increase in central government support of just 2.5 per cent was challenging in itself, but when you set this alongside the requirement made on forces to achieve cashable efficiency savings of 9.3 per cent over the next three years, the Force and authority had to work particularly hard to ensure that any necessary expenditure rises were not passed on to the public in unduly high increases in the Council Tax precept. "I am delighted to say that with the support of the authority, we have been able to achieve a positive budget outcome and have also managed to earmark some additional investment into some key areas of the Force's business," he said. Mr. Andrew Edwards, Acting/Chief Constable, stated: "One of the main priorities for the Force during 2008/09 will be policing our roads and more particularly denying criminals the use of the road network in our area. This will principally be taken forward through the implementation and positive use of static and mobile automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems around the Force. "Another area highlighted for significant investment is the provision of mobile data facilities to front line officers, allowing them to spend more time on the beat and less time in stations, something that the public are keen to see. This initiative will also address some of the national issues that have recently been highlighted in the Independent Review of Policing conducted by Sir Ronnie Flanagan around bureaucracy." Chairman of the police authority, Mr. Alisdair Kenwright, reflected that given the initial suggestions around central government support before Christmas, the budget set for the Force was a fair one. The authority's decision on the budget was an unanimous one. "The budget amounts to an increase in expenditure of less than four per cent and includes some notable investment in key front line services. This means a council tax increase of just £7.83 a year on a Band D property. "I feel this represents good value for money for the people of the Dyfed-Powys area as well as ensuring that the Force is resourced sufficiently to ensure that it continues to deliver the excellent performance that we have come to expect and the quality of service that people in this area want and need."