Police forces will have dedicated teams of officers focused on patrolling town centres at peak times in England and Wales, the prime minister is expected to announce.
Police chiefs will be ordered to guarantee town centre patrols at peak teams – or risk losing out on funding.
Labour shared the Guardian article and wrote: “NEW: This Labour government is restoring confidence in policing, with named, contactable officers for every neighbourhood.”
Starmer said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure on the streets they call home. It is just about the most basic right that anyone would expect.
“Yet for years crimes such as shoplifting and antisocial behaviour have wreaked havoc on our neighbourhoods. Policing has become reactive, picking up the pieces after crimes have occurred.”
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended Labour’s investment in the police.
“Overall, we’re investing more than a billion extra in policing across the country this year compared to last year, and that applies right across the country,” she said.
“The police forces have all had additional funding to cover issues like National Insurance, but also to cover pay increases and the important need to support policing right across the country.”
Hot spots
The government’s plan for neighbourhood policing involves patrols in “hotspot” areas during the busiest periods, such as on Friday and Saturday nights.
If the the government need to tell the police to do this then either, a, there are no coppers or b, senior police literally don’t know manage their staff. Maybe a bit of both?
Met Police
The Metropolitan Police will have to lose 1,700 officers, PCSOs and staff and cut a number of services as it faces a £260m hole in its budget for the coming year, the force has said.
The Royal Parks police team will go, as will officers placed in schools.
At the end of last year, the Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, warned of “eye-watering” cuts which could have seen the loss of 2,300 officers.
As one person wrote on X: “Yes, just as there is now, you’re not announcing anything new. Even so mass shortages mean that these officers are rarely patrolling their communities as they’re needed for response work. As an aside the @metpoliceuk announced this week that they’re shedding 1,200 posts.”
Related: Watch: Starmer refuses to change fiscal rules as Labour MP slams brutal cuts
