Ruth welcomes new neighbourhood Police Officers in London

Ruth Cadbury MP has welcomed that the Government will be putting over 450 new neighbourhood police on the streets of London over the next year.  

The news comes as part of a £200 million investment by the Government to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament.

This initial funding boost will see almost 3,000 more police officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood roles by March 2026.  This vital boost includes up to 420 officers, and 50 PCSOs in London.

This is an important first step in cracking down on the antisocial behaviour and street crime.  The previous Government slashed neighbourhood policing and by the time they left office more than half of the public said they never saw a bobby on the beat.

The new Government is determined to restore the vital link between police forces and local communities, ensuring that officers are visible and present in their local areas, cracking down on crimes like antisocial behaviour, shoplifting and drug dealing.  Alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, the Government’s new Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a suite of new powers for the police to crack down on local crimes. This will include Respect Orders to clamp down on persistent antisocial offenders and ban them from our town centres and a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect hard-working shop workers.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will give every area named, contactable neighbourhood policing teams by July, with officers carrying out patrols at peak teams.

Speaking in full Ruth Cadbury MP said,

“I am delighted that the Government is delivering new neighbourhood police officers for London. I have long campaigned for more police on our streets, and this is extremely welcome news.

Neighbourhood police officers know the local area, know the hotspots for crime and work with residents and community groups to tackle crime. Having been out on walk abouts with officers locally I know that this will make a big difference and help to make our local area safer.

Under previous Governments neighbourhood police numbers were slashed and public confidence in public safety drained away. Respect for the rule of law broke down and more and more people lost faith in our criminal justice system.

Alongside more police officers I’m glad that the Government are protecting shop workers and reforming the law so the police can fully prosecute those who shoplift goods. This comes alongside extra funding from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to tackle the causes of crime, such as investment in youth services and a violence reduction unit which focused on tackling the root cause of crime.

I’m determined to continue to work protect our local area and reduce crime.’’

Yvette Cooper MP, the Home Secretary, said:

“The previous Government decimated neighbourhood policing whilst crimes like shoplifting and street theft were spiralling out of control. That last Government left a disastrous legacy on law and order and our communities have paid the price.

“This Government is determined to put bobbies back on the beat in communities across the country, and we will give officers the powers they need to crack down on local crimes.

“With 3,000 additional officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood roles just this year, we are showing the difference a Labour Government can make”.