PM promises more police on the streets

The government has announced that every neighbourhood will have a named, contactable police officer in their community, dealing with local issues, as the Prime Minister focuses his efforts on putting more police officers on the streets.

Today (5th December 2024), the Prime Minister is to deliver a speech unveiling his Plan for Change in which he will tell communities they can expect to have a visible and responsive policing presence that will reconnect with the communities they serve.

Following years of police shortages on the streets, confidence in British policing has sharply declined. Since 2010, the proportion of people who see a police foot patrol more than once a week has more than halved, and so has the number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs)

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will ensure that every neighbourhood will have a named, contactable officer, giving residents and businesses a voice to shape their local police priorities. Additionally, every force will have its own anti-social behaviour lead who will work with communities to develop action plans that tackle the concerns their streets see daily.

Alongside this, the government’s aim is to have 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing officers, PCSOs and special constables in dedicated neighbourhood policing roles. These officers must be visible and not to be taken off the beat to plug shortages elsewhere.

To support this initiative, the government is investing £100 million in renewing police focus to preventing crime on the streets — particularly in town centre. Visible, accessible officers aim to deter offending and reassuring locals that they will be safe.

The Safer Streets Mission comes part of a programme of police reform, to raise standards even further. This is important to deliver on the ambition to halve violence against women and girls and knife crime, as well as drive up confidence in the police, which has diminished in recent years.

The home secretary said: “Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is about more than just increasing numbers. It’s about rebuilding the vital connection between the public and the police.
“This marks a return to the founding principles of British policing—where officers are part of the communities they serve.

“Through this visible, responsive police presence in every neighbourhood, we will restore the trust and partnership that lies at the heart of keeping our communities safe.”

The milestones that the Prime Minister is set to deliver today are the next phase of Mission delivery, giving Britain a clear pathway for the next five years. They will focus on raising living standards, rebuilding Britain, ending hospital backlogs, putting police back on the beat, giving children the best start in life, and securing home-grown energy.

These will be underpinned by the foundations of a good government: economic stability, border security, national security, and the Plan for Change will bring an ambitious public sector reform programme that will initiate a more innovative, dynamic, and decisive state.

This comes as part of several initiates the Prime Minister has already implanting, such as prioritising the Budget Responsibility Act, providing the largest NHS funding settlement since 2010, and establishing a new Border Security Command.