The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee - will it work to improve public trust?
Beth Mooney examines the findings of recent research by Crest Advisory.
In December last year, Keir Starmer was clear that the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee aimed to build public trust and confidence. Diminishing public trust and confidence in the police and wider criminal justice system is a key concern of the Labour Government, which has centred its Safer Streets mission on reversing this trend.
It is true that trust and confidence in the police has dropped across England and Wales. In the decade to March 2025, the percentage of people who felt police in their local area could be trusted fell by 12% and overall confidence in local police fell by 15%.[1] Andy Cooke, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, linked this to high-profile misconduct incidents and criminality of serving police officers.[2]
For many people, diminishing trust and conference is not unique to policing. Trust in public services – including systems of government – is falling across the board. In parallel, members of the public report that their perceptions of day-to-day life are getting worse. Over the last decade, 59% of people believe their lives worsened in their local areas.[3] Neighbourhoods are a site within which declining trust and confidence are playing out. It seems, then, that a neighbourhood-centric approach to policing is well-timed.
But will the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee work to improve public trust?
Crest led research with members of the public to understand what they wanted from neighbourhood policing. Unanimously, the public agreed that they want their local neighbourhood policing teams to be regularly visible in the community. They also wanted neighbourhood policing teams to be more accessible to them, with clear information available around how they can be contacted and improved communication with local communities about what they are doing and why.
We also held focus groups with neighbourhood officers. Officers were clear that being visible to the public was important and, prior to the Guarantee being implemented, some had already increased foot patrols and engagement with the community. In other words, there was clear alignment between officers’ priorities and the wishes of the communities they serve, which is a strong starting point for the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee implementation.
As part of the first phase, the Guarantee has delivered a named and contactable officer for every community, who spends the majority of their time patrolling local communities, engaging residents and businesses. Forces now also have a dedicated anti-social behaviour lead, which may go some way to addressing public perception that the police do not treat anti-social behaviour seriously enough.[4] It seems that the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee does have potential to deliver what the public want. Whether the Guarantee is delivered in a way which matches this potential will depend on how it is rolled out and whether identified barriers facing neighbourhood policing are addressed.
Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee in the context of wider trust in public services
Concern around crime and anti-social behaviour was felt most acutely in neighbourhoods with the worst socio-economic outcomes around economic and educational opportunities, infrastructure, poverty, crime rates, and health. Residents of those areas were four times as likely to consider illegal drugs a ‘major’ issue compared with lowest need places.[5] However, in every neighbourhood, economic opportunities, access to health services and visible signs of decline – including potholes and high street shop closures – were consistently areas of greatest concern. We must be realistic that a programme which aims to tackle crime and disorder in neighbourhoods, in order to boost public trust and confidence in policing, will struggle if other social issues – particularly those connected to a lack of trust in other public services – aren’t addressed in parallel.
Interestingly, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee isn’t the only neighbourhood-focused programme the Government has invested in. Last week, the Government announced plans to expand the Pride of Place programme, promising to deliver £20 million of funding over the next decade to areas with highest levels of deprivation and weakest social infrastructure. As part of this, the Government intends to give local communities more control over how to invest in their neighbourhoods, to regenerate their high streets and create opportunities for those who need it most.
Wider place-based investment to improve neighbourhoods can only benefit delivery of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. If, through the Pride of Place programme, local residents can see their neighbourhoods improve, it may set the conditions for public trust to grow generally – including in policing. The delivery of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee must capitalise on this. As it stands, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee has the capability to fulfil public expectations and, in time, grow public trust in policing. To achieve that, it must deliver on its promises in a way the public can see.
Beth Mooney is Head of Research at Crest Advisory
[1] Crime Survey of England and Wales data
[3] New Economics Foundation, 2024
