New measures to put neighbourhood bobbies back on the beat unveiled by Prime Minister

Under the plans there will be named and contactable officers for every neighbourhood and guaranteed police patrols in busy areas at peak times, such as town centres, ending years of what he describes as a “postcode lottery” on law and order.

Announcing the plan, Sir Keir Starmer said made it clear that security is the bedrock on which working families build their lives, but that in recent years visible policing has fallen dramatically, with the number of people who regularly see officers patrolling in their local area halving in the past decade. Ninety per cent of crime has been left unsolved and there were one million incidents of anti-social behaviour last year alone, including big increases in street crime.

The measures will put prevention at the heart of policing. Under the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, crimes such as vandalism or anti-social behaviour will be less likely to turn into more serious and violent offences, boosting confidence and security in local communities across Britain.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will put 13,000 more officers into neighbourhood policing roles by 2029, an increase of more than 50 per cent.

The early focus of the plan will be to establish named local officers, target town centre crime and build back neighbourhood policing:

• Each neighbourhood will have named, contactable officers to tackle the issues facing their communities, helping to restore trust that policing is working to keep people safe and meaning no community feels ignored when they need help;
• Every neighbourhood in England and Wales will have dedicated teams who will spend their time on the beat with guaranteed police patrols in town centres and other hotspot areas at peak times such as Friday and Saturday nights; and
• There will be a dedicated anti-social behaviour lead in every force, working with residents and businesses to develop tailored action plans to tackle record levels of antisocial behaviour, which is blighting communities.

Under these plans, communities across the country will be able to hold forces to account and expect a minimum standard of policing in their area.

The Government’s new Police Standards and Performance Improvement Unit will ensure police performance is consistently and accurately measured, so the Government can narrow the gap between the best and worst performing forces.

A new online tool will allow the public to check how their local force is performing and hold forces to account.

The Prime Minister 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 anti-social behaviour have wreaked havoc on our neighbourhoods. Policing has become reactive, picking up the pieces after crimes have occurred.

“Britain deserves better. It should not matter where you live – everyone deserves local, visible policing they can trust, and with our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we will end this postcode lottery, putting prevention back at the heart of policing and ensuring police are back on the streets.

“That’s why our Plan for Change is delivering security for working people in their communities with a return to neighbourhood policing, putting thousands of bobbies back on the beat and keeping people safe.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added: “The heartbeat of our Great British policing tradition is seeing bobbies on the beat, but for too long, too many communities have been feeling abandoned as crime soared and neighbourhood police disappeared, even when local crimes like shop theft, street theft or blatant drug dealing rose sharply.

“That’s why this government is determined to get police back on the beat and into our town centres.

“It should not matter where you live – everyone deserves local, visible policing they can trust, and with our Plan for Change and Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we will tackle this postcode lottery and restore policing to our communities.”

As set out at the 2025/26 police funding settlement, £200 million has been allocated to forces in England and Wales in the coming year to deliver the first steps towards placing 13,000 additional police officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles by the end of this Parliament.

The Home Office worked closely with policing to develop the approach for 2025/26, marking the first year of a four-year programme. This approach is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a flexible manner, adaptable to local contexts and varying crime demands. Each force has been allocated a budget based on the Police Funding Formula.

Chief Constable Rachel Bacon, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for the Local Policing Coordination Committee, welcome the Government’s investment into neighbourhood policing.

“Neighbourhood policing and officers on the street are crucial so that we can connect with the communities we serve. It is a vital part of how we prevent crime and has suffered during prolonged periods of austerity,” she said.

“Visibility and engagement with local communities has always been central to the British policing model and police leaders are in agreement that it must always remain at the heart of what we do.

“Forces continue to develop plans to tackle crime in their local neighbourhoods, which will vary depending on various factors such as population, urban or rural and the needs of the local community. Chiefs across England and Wales will take these factors into account, work with partner agencies to ensure communities receive the level of service they expect from policing.

“In every town, village and city across the UK, people want to feel safe where they live, work and raise their families. Safe from anti-social behaviour, safe from shoplifting, and safe from personal robbery. Neighbourhood policing is at the heart of that helping tackle that.

“We welcome the continued investment in hotspot policing and visible targeted patrols, which are the bedrock of community policing, and effective deterrents in detecting and preventing anti-social behaviour and serious violent crime, as well as improving feelings of safety.”

Ms Bacon added: “People have a right to live their lives free from intimidation and harassment in their own communities. We know anti-social behaviour has the power to wreck people’s lives and therefore it is important to have a multi-agency approach to tackling anti-social behaviour.

“Effective investment in neighbourhood policing and the whole system means investment in stronger communities and safer streets.”

Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh, chief executive officer of the College of Policing, said: “We welcome the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which builds on the bedrock of British policing. Our evidence shows that good neighbourhood policing reduces crime and builds trust with communities, and it remains a top priority for the college.

“We also know how important neighbourhood policing is to the public. That’s why, this June, we’ll be rolling out the Neighbourhood Policing Pathway training for neighbourhood officers and staff in police forces right across the country. Our training will ensure these teams have the specialised knowledge and skills to tackle anti-social behaviour, engage with communities and build relationships that support intelligence gathering and crime reduction.

“We will also continue to use our position as a national source of best practice to help forces to constantly improve how they approach neighbourhood policing. Through our Practice Bank and Smarter Practice examples, the college will continue to evaluate and share initiatives and interventions to help police forces provide the best possible service for their communities.

Emily Spurrell, chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), said neighbourhood policing is vital for building trust, preventing crime and fostering community engagement.

“It ensures that local officers, with their unique knowledge, can swiftly address the specific needs of their communities, creating safer and more connected neighbourhoods,” said Ms Spurrell, the police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Merseyside.

“Residents and businesses have made it clear, time and again, that they want an accessible local policing team, with local knowledge, dealing with the unique problems in their communities.

“PCCs and deputy mayors have echoed their communities’ voices in setting the priorities for their chief constables and made neighbourhood policing a priority in their Police and Crime Plans.

“The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is an opportunity to reconnect policing with the communities they serve, helping to restore the trust and confidence that is vital if we are to continue policing by consent.”

She added: “The APCC welcomed the additional neighbourhood policing funding announced in January by the Government, to enhance policing’s ability to deliver with additional officers and PCSOs. However, there remains significant pressure on police budgets and we will continue to work with the Government to ensure policing has the resources it needs to effectively deliver neighbourhood policing for the public.”

APCC joint leads on local policing, Cleveland PCC Matt Storey and Gloucestershire PCC Chris Nelson, added: “A more engaged, visible and professionalised neighbourhood policing presence with consistent response times is critical to tackling crime and improving public safety. This is the message that we have taken to government and today’s announcement shows it is listening.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Home Office to ensure the full 13,000 expansion of Neighbourhood Policing is delivered as soon as possible, as it is vital to ensure that this commitment results in tangible improvements for communities.”

“PCCs and deputy mayors are committed to ensuring that their police forces provide the best possible service to the communities they serve and will hold chief constables to account for delivering an improved policing offer to neighbourhoods in all force areas across England and Wales.”

Kurtis Christoforides, chief executive officer of Police Now, said: “Police Now was founded to help transform communities through outstanding neighbourhood policing and brilliant public sector leadership, so it’s tremendously exciting to be working even more closely with government and police forces to do just that.”

The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Newlove, welcomed the return of dedicated neighbourhood policing and the introduction of named anti-social behaviour leads in each area.

“Persistent anti-social behaviour blights lives and communities, and these new roles will be vital in ensuring victims’ concerns are taken seriously by officers they know and trust,” she said.

“Some of the most harmful and enduring anti-social behaviour takes place in residential communities – away from the town centres and out of sight. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee has real potential, but its impact will depend on trained officers who have the support and skills to be able to respond to every report – whether from a busy high street or a quiet cul-de-sac.”

Matt Hood, Co-op managing director said creating healthy, safer high streets within resilient and durable communities is “absolutely essential”.

“We have effective partnerships with local police in several communities across the UK and we see first-hand the benefits of working together to target high impact offenders,” he said. “At Co-op we have recently seen an encouraging improvement in police response and attendance, however, the offenders keep coming and as retailers, we do all we can to prevent crime in our shops, but along with our communities, we need this support from the police to make it count.

“We welcome this new Government commitment on increasing neighbourhood policing and our store colleagues will definitely be pleased to see a higher police presence.”

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “It cannot be overstated how important it is for businesses and communities to feel confident in their own safety on the streets, and knowing their neighbourhood police officers engenders that confidence. Utilising local knowledge and relationships is critical to providing safe high streets.

“Hospitality and our high streets are critical for driving economic growth and regenerating our towns and cities, and we want them to be thriving hubs of activity. The Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is an important way of ensuring that.”

John Hayward-Cripps, chief executive of Neighbourhood Watch said:  “The advantage of having a named officer is that it humanises the relationship between the police and the community. People report greater trust and confidence in the police when they can reach out to an officer who knows their area, and the communities who live there. Evidence suggests that patrols alone don’t make a significant difference to cutting crime, what is effective is combining them with community engagement.

“Our members regularly work with the police, partners and the local people to adopt a problem-solving approach to crime and antisocial behaviour. And yet, nearly a third of people who responded to our community survey told us they lack a feeling of safety. It is especially important for younger people; they are the age group least likely to feel safe in their neighbourhoods.”

However, Marcus Johnstone of PCD Solicitors said those of us who work in criminal justice “are used to this sort of announcement”.

“Successive governments have pledged more officers on the beat, more arrests, and more prosecutions, said Mr Johnstone, who specialises in criminal defence representation for people accused of sexual offences.

“More community policing is, of course, a welcome step. But as a criminal defence solicitor specialising in sexual offences, I’m afraid the crimes I am increasingly seeing require more than just new neighbourhood bobbies.

“A huge amount of serious crime is committed online: indecent images, grooming, and organised sexual abuse. Children are the most frequent victims of this sort of offending, and the police are woefully underfunded and undermanned in dealing with it. In many ways, the internet is still very much a Wild West.

“More police on the beat are undoubtedly needed. But more, better trained officers are also required to police the internet – and keep people safe on the platforms and websites they are visiting from their homes.”

The latest announcement is just one part of the Government’s commitment to keep communities safe.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, new powers will be given to police so they can better tackle crimes that matter most to communities. This includes bringing in Respect Orders to clamp down on persistent anti-social behaviour and giving police the power to seize vehicles that cause havoc to communities.

The Bill will also scrap the effective immunity of theft of goods below £200 and help police go after phone thieves by removing the warrant to search properties where stolen items have been electronically geolocated.