Home Secretary says plans to bring in thousands more neighbourhood police 'will take years'
by Margaret Davis and Sam Hall PA · ChronicleLiveThe Home Secretary has said plans to bolster police numbers to address the surge in local crime may take years to fully implement. Speaking at a policing conference held in Westminster, Yvette Cooper disclosed worrying figures that indicate an increased feeling of distance between the public and the police force since 2010.
According to her, not only has the headcount of officers patrolling our neighbourhoods dwindled, but the visibility of police on the beat has taken a nosedive, resulting in a public sentiment where many can attest to seldom, if ever, seeing an officer on regular duties.
"Even after the previous government reversed the reduction in the overall number of officers, policing has not returned to our streets," she said.
"There are still fewer officers in neighbourhood teams, the proportion of the public who say they never see an officer on the beat has doubled, and the number of PCSOs has halved."
With a concerning rise in local criminal activity including record levels of shoplifting, a 40% increase in street theft over a single year, and continuous anti-social behaviour plaguing town centres, Cooper announced intentions to deploy an additional 13,000 community-conscious officers, spanning from neighbourhood officers to specials, over the coming years.
At the London event, she lectured attendees: "Little wonder then that the types of crimes and conduct that neighbourhood policing used to tackle have soared."
As part of a broader reform agenda, the Home Office has made it known it would more closely scrutinise performance across England's and Wales' 43 police forces. However, this proposal has been met with caution by leading law enforcement figures like Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, who argued that a 'simplistic league table approach' has limited utility in enhancing policing efficiency.
Speaking at the same event, he proposed the establishment of a new national police body to modernise the service from a model designed in the 1960s, before the advent of the internet and mobile phones. He expressed to the conference in Westminster that the current structure of 43 geographical forces in England and Wales has too many decision makers, leading to inertia.
He told the policing summit: "The world around us has changed beyond recognition yet we remain rooted in a system designed in the early 1960s, before mobile phones, the internet, even the M25 which came along two decades later."
Mr Stephens continued: "We need to redefine who’s accountable at which level for which issues, as at present there are too many decision makers, which leads to inertia, indecision or as I’ve heard it described, undecision."
UK police chiefs are considering countries including Australia, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark as models for a new structure, and have been discussing the plans for a year. The Home Secretary envisages a national body taking responsibility for IT, forensics and the police air service, but this may be expanded in the future.
The Metropolitan Police currently holds national responsibility for counter-terrorism policing, and City of London Police is the lead for fraud.
Ms Cooper asserted that public trust in the police has been severely damaged in recent times, calling for a "fundamental reset" in the relationship between law enforcement and the government.
This significant investment from central government will bolster neighbourhood policing, support the National Crime Agency (NCA), and enhance counter-terrorism efforts. Additionally, police forces will receive separate compensation to cover the increased costs resulting from the rise in employer national insurance contributions.
During her first key address since assuming the role, Cooper further explained to the media that the planned increase in neighbourhood police presence would not be immediate but is imperative. She said: "When the proportion of people who say they never see the police on the beat has doubled since 2010 that’s had a really big impact on confidence."
Cooper emphasised the effect on local crimes, adding: "That has a really big impact on those kinds of local crimes, like town centre crime in particular."
Her firm stance is underscored by the intention to deploy more officers to communities: "So that’s why we’re so determined to get neighbourhood police back onto the beat, back into communities."
Nonetheless, she acknowledged: "But we do recognise that it will take time."
Furthermore, the Home Secretary announced comprehensive staffing plans: "We’ve set out plans for 13,000 more neighbourhood police, PCSOs, specials over the next few years, and we will set out more information in the coming weeks around funding."
A White Paper, which is expected to detail these extensive policing reforms, is scheduled for release this spring.
A comprehensive breakdown of the additional funding will be published as part of the police settlement in December.
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