The cost of policing the county could see households facing a 3.4% increase in their bills.

Kent crime commissioner Ann Barnes is consulting on an above-inflation increase in the police levy to help recruit and train 37 more firearms officers in the face of possible terrorist attacks.

The force is one of a handful to be permitted to increase its average share of council tax bills by £5 above the maximum 2% allowed by the government.

The government has said it expects all forces to increase the number of armed officers by 50% after a series of terrorist atrocities.

Mrs Barnes said she wanted to hear from the public before deciding whether to approve her spending plan.

“We have to put 37 more firearms officers on the books in Kent, so that is why I’m formally launching a consultation about raising an average family’s policing precept by £5 for the year to help pay for them.”

She added the government had made it clear that it was assuming crime commissioners would increase their bills to the maximum allowed.

“If Kent families support this suggested £5 increase, I would use the additional money raised to boost the number of firearms officers on the payroll. Kent is the border to Europe and I have a duty to make sure that the chief constable has the resources he needs to keep us as safe as possible in these difficult times,” she said.

A 3.4% increase would raise an extra £2.9m for the force. The curent average police part of the council tax bill is £147.15 for homes in Band D.

Speaking at a conference last year, Kent chief constable Alan Pughsley said the challenge for the force was responding to the changing nature of terrorist attacks.

“The difficulty is the nature of the attack. That is a significant shift and challenge. How do we respond to the increase? We absolutely need more firearms officers; they are the first response.”

While the Chancellor George Osborne announced in his Autumn Statement last year that police forces would be spared budget cuts, the Home Secretary Theresa May says the police must continue to make savings over the next four years.

To have your say on the proposal go to the commissioner's website here