The government has confirmed that 3,000 new neighbourhood police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) will be deployed across England and Wales within the next year.
The announcement was made today by the Prime Minister during a visit to Cambridgeshire, providing further detail on the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
Under the plan, every neighbourhood will have dedicated policing teams focused on visible patrols and community engagement. Officers will be regularly on the beat in town centres and crime hotspots during peak times, such as Friday and Saturday nights.
Each community will also have named, easily contactable officers to address local concerns directly. In addition, every police force will appoint a dedicated antisocial behaviour lead, tasked with working alongside residents and businesses to develop tailored strategies to combat ongoing issues.
These changes will begin rolling out from July, with the new neighbourhood officers expected to be in place by April next year.
Looking ahead, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee aims to add a total of 13,000 officers to communities by 2029 — a more than 50% increase. The initial focus will be on assigning named officers, targeting town centre crime, and strengthening neighbourhood policing efforts.
For the first time in 15 years, communities will also be able to hold police forces accountable through a new minimum policing standard.
To support this, the government is establishing a Police Standards and Performance Improvement Unit to ensure police performance is consistently monitored and improved. Photo by Cheeseburger296, Wikimedia commons.