Shadow Home Secretary will today (Thursday)
announce that the next Labour government will crack down on crime
by introducing a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee – with
increased town centre patrols, substantially expanded
neighbourhood policing teams, a named neighbourhood officer for
every community, and tough action on antisocial behaviour (ASB)
and drug dealing.
In a speech at the Institute for Government (IfG), the Shadow
Home Secretary will set out new plans for a Neighbourhood
Policing Guarantee, getting police and PCSOs back on the beat
with a major expansion of neighbourhood policing.
Enforced by 13,000 additional neighbourhood police and PCSOs, and
underpinned by new legislation, the Guarantee will increase
police visibility in every community and assign named officers
and PCSOs for every ward, as well as significantly increasing
local action to tackle ASB, and prevent growing numbers of young
people being drawn into gangs and violent crime.
Nationally, just 12% of full-time police officers are designated
as in neighbourhood roles – down from 19% in 2015, a drop of
6,000 police officers. The number of Police Community Support
Officers has halved since the Conservatives came to power in
2010.
Cooper will promise 13,000 new neighbourhood police and PCSOs
underpinned by new measures to ensure all police forces increase
patrols and community prevention teams.
The pledge will be backed up by new training, technology and
inspection frameworks for neighbourhood policing, which will be a
priority for Labour’s Home Office in government, backed by early
legislation.
It comes amid growing concerns about knife crime affecting young
people across the country.
New figures from Labour show huge increases in knife crime in
towns across the country over the past decade with more young
people drawn into serious and violent crime.
The new neighbourhood policing teams will be at
the heart of a new strategy that the party is drawing up to crack
down on devastating knife crime and prevent young people being
drawn into violence.
Cooper will argue that the disappearance of neighbourhood
officers, “who were once the eyes and ears on our streets”, has
had “deeply damaging consequences for communities as fewer
criminals are being caught, confidence in policing has plummeted,
persistent ASB in our town centres has increased, and serious,
violent crime affecting young people has grown.”
The last Labour government introduced neighbourhood policing,
created the role of Police Community Support Officers and took
strong action on crime and ASB.
will say:
“For 13 years, the Conservatives have deliberately run a
hands-off Home Office, failing to take proper action on serious
areas of rising crime, such as youth knife crime, drug dealing,
fraud or town centre anti-social behaviour, and failing to
introduce serious policing reform.”
“Their laissez faire approach to crime and policing has badly let
communities down. Labour will take a fundamentally different
approach. We know that strong communities are safe communities.
We believe in high standards in public services and in active
Government.”
“That’s why a Labour Home Office will work with communities to
prevent crime and catch criminals and require new high standards
in policing and the criminal justice system. At its heart that
means rebuilding and renewing the neighbourhood police who are at
the heart of our communities and the fight against crime. Labour
is the party of law and order.”
Alongside the neighbourhood policing pledge, Labour will
legislate for new higher national mandatory standards on
police vetting, training, and misconduct as part of an overhaul
of culture and standards in policing.
Ends
Notes:
· Embargoed
images for broadcasters will be available via the pool and photos
via the PA Media wires, later today.
· Knife
crime statistics (table P6) - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/policeforceareadatatables
· Police
workforce, year to March 2022 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2022 (Tables
F1, F3)
· Labour’s
extra officers will be funded through a Police Efficiency &
Collaboration programme, establishing:
o Centralised standard-setting for procurement
(at least £225m)
o Increased collaboration on shared services and
specialist functions (at least £145m).
· According
to estimates from the Police Foundation, up to £690 million could
be saved from operational policing budgets through increased
collaboration. Based on internal analysis, Labour’s Neighbourhood
Policing Programme would be funded through a more conservative
savings estimate of £370m p.a. - https://www.policingreview.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/srpew_final_report.pdf (pg.
131)
