Ahead of the Home Office statistics on the number of police
officers in England and Wales, Prime Minister said:
“When I stood at the steps of Downing Street six months ago, I
made clear that I would do whatever it takes to cut crime and
make our communities safer. At the heart of that pledge is
recruiting 20,000 additional police officers.
“We await the final statistics expected today but, as I have
previously set out, I am confident we are on the cusp of meeting
that promise. This would be a significant moment, meaning we have
more police officers in England and Wales than ever before.
“This is not only about putting more officers on our streets, it
has also been a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the
face of policing, attracting more women and people from ethnic
minority backgrounds, and making the police become more
representative of the communities they serve.
“I want to thank the thousands of officers already out in our
neighbourhoods. I am backing you with up to £17.2 billion this
year and the powers you need to relentlessly pursue criminals and
protect victims. This includes new powers through our Public
Order Bill to crack down on protestors who inflict misery on the
public.
“What we are doing is working.
“Neighbourhood crime – including thefts, robberies and burglaries
– is down nearly 50% since 2010 and has fallen by nearly a
quarter since this government took office in December 2019.
“90,000 knives have been taken off our streets through stop and
search and other targeted police action.
“And since 2019 our County Lines Programme has shut down more
than 3,500 County Lines and made more than 10,000 arrests.
“While we are making good progress, we know we must go further.
“Last month, I set out our plans to stamp out anti-social
behaviour for good - toughening up the police response to drugs
and expanding testing on arrest, banning nitrous oxide, making
sure perpetrators repair the damage they cause swiftly and
visibly, targeting policing in hotspot areas, funding more parks
and investing in millions of extra hours of support for young
people.
“We will stop at nothing to make sure everyone has the security
and confidence that comes from having a safe street and a safe
home.”
