POLICE and crime commissioner John Campion has outlined his budget plans for the year ahead - and pledged to avoid adding to the council tax burden despite having to make cuts.

West Mercia's elected police chief has drawn up a new draft budget which would see an extra £4.5 million sunk into the force for 2017/18.

The proposals include freezing the police's element of the council tax, which makes up around 11 per cent of the household bill.

Mr Campion, a Conservative, has decided to raid the force's reserves to help prop up the books instead, and is planning to use £30 million of it by 2020.

The reserves are at a whopping £50 million now, a figure which led to the previous PCC Bill Longmore attracting some criticism from councillors on the police and crime panel.

The £212 million budget also includes £100,000 into restorative justice, an extra £1 million for victim support and £20.8 million on IT infrastructure, which is being overhauled.

Some £2.8 million will go on what his office calls "fit for purpose" mobile technology to allow police to spend more time out and about.

A draft budget book, released yesterday, also reveals how five new jobs will be created to clampdown on cyber and other high-tech crimes, while giving all police officers body-worn cameras - something revealed by the Worcester News two months ago - will cost £500,000 a year.

It follows severe spending reductions of around £36 million in recent years, with further savings of around £21 million due between now and 2021.

Measures already implemented will help save £9.5 million in 2017/18, but the £21 million savings requirement is on top of that.

Around 72 per cent of the council tax bill is controlled by Worcestershire County Council, which is likely to increase its portion by almost three per cent, adding at least £33 to typical Band D bills.

Mr Campion said: "I'm proposing a budget which will ensure continued investment in our police force, enabling greater efficiencies for the future whilst addressing the issues that matter most to our communities and ensuring better value for public money.

"I promised I would make sure policing budgets were spent as wisely and efficiently as possible before I ever asked our communities for any more.

"With that in mind, I'm proposing a freeze in the policing element of council tax for the coming financial year because I believe there are greater efficiencies that must be achieved.

"However by utilising the healthy reserves we have, 2017/18 would see a considerable increase in spending."