Police Funding, Crime and Community Safety

Part of Opposition Day — [19th Allotted Day] — Transitional State Pension Arrangements for Women – in the House of Commons at 6:42 pm on 24 February 2016.

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Photo of Jack Dromey Jack Dromey Shadow Minister (Home Affairs) 6:42, 24 February 2016

Neighbourhood policing was one of Labour’s greatest achievements—a proud legacy. When we were in government, we built on the British model of policing by consent. My right hon. Friend Mr Hanson was absolutely right to say that when Labour left office, there were record numbers of police on the street: 17,000 more than in 1997 and, in addition, nearly 17,000 PCSOs. As my hon. Friend Helen Hayes said, neighbourhood policing is popular with the public. It is local policing with local roots, underpinned by local crime and safety partnerships, and it provides a local say.

The British model of policing is now under threat, as my hon. Friend Peter Dowd rightly said. The HMIC report by Zoë Billingham describes how neighbourhood policing is

“the cornerstone of the British policing model”.

However, she says:

“I need to raise a warning flag here.”

She goes on to talk about the dangers

“if neighbourhood policing is further eroded.”

She warns against losing

“our eyes and ears in the community”.

Crucially, she singles out her concern about limiting the ability of neighbourhood policing teams to identify and disrupt threats such as organised crime and terrorism. Indeed, both the current head of counter-terrorism and his predecessor have warned about the dangers of hollowing out neighbourhood policing because it is vital to intelligence gathering.