CHIEF Constable Paul Stephenson is making senior officers face the public to justify the need for a 15 per cent council tax increase.

And he also pledged to use the extra cash to put more bobbies on the beat if the public back calls for a tax rise.

Mr Stephenson spoke out after Dr Ruth Henig, chairman of the Lancashire Police Authority, said a 15 per cent rise in the council tax bill for police services would be necessary if the Government failed to make up a £250 million funding shortfall.

She said the proposed rise in Government funding would not meet the extra costs faced by the force which would mean the police authority asking for more money from Lancashire taxpayers.

The rise equates to £13.13 extra - or 26p a week - taking the bill to over £100 annually for Band D householders.

It follows an increase of 27p this year, which was used to recruit 80 community beat managers.

Dr Henig has launched a period of public consultation in Lancashire to see if taxpayers are happy paying extra.

And today Mr Stephenson said if people agreed he would get more officers on the streets: "My view is that local people would want to see some improvement in their policing service rather than just pay more for the same, particularly as we currently have one of the lowest council taxes for policing in the country.

"There is no doubt that the demand for policing continues to outstrip our ability to meet it and people's expectations of the policing are also increasing."

To get the message across, he intends to send his divisional commanders to public meetings to explain how vital the 80 extra beat bobbies appointed this year had proved.

Mr Stephenson added: "They would also propose how they would use any additional resources for the forthcoming financial year."This year police services in Lancashire will cost £216.8million, with £177million of that coming from the Government and the rest from council tax.