In the long-term, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will put 13,000 more officers into neighbourhood policing by 2029, an increase of 50 percent.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to boost the number of officers on patrol in an effort to rebuild trust in community policing and tackle the “culture of crime.”
From July, communities in England and Wales will see a return of “bobbies on the beat,” with guaranteed police patrols in town centres and other areas which are hotspots for crime. There will also be more patrols at peak times in those areas, such as on Friday and Saturday nights.
Other initiatives to improve committee policing will see each neighbourhood have named, contactable police officers.
There will also be dedicated anti-social behaviour leads in every force, which will work with businesses and residents to deliver tailored policing for their areas.
These changes form part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee unveiled on Thursday, which the government says will respond to record levels of anti-social behaviour as well as increases in street crime.
3,000 New Officers by 2026
In the long-term, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will put 13,000 more officers into communities by 2029, an increase of 50 percent.
Announcing the plans during a visit to Cambridgeshire Police Headquarters in Huntingdon, Starmer said that the first 3,000 new neighbourhood officers will be deployed by the start of next year, “all of them visible on the beat and serving their communities—not stuck behind a desk.”
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Starmer also vowed to tackle anti-social behaviour, rejecting the idea that it should be dismissed as a “low-level crime,” but rather one that impacts individuals, families, and communities.
“We’ve got to end this culture of crime that is destroying our communities,” the prime minister said.
Neighbourhood Policing ‘Decimated’
He also pointed to Labour’s commitment to reducing trends in crime, highlighting last year’s announcement of an extra £1 billion in funding for forces, including £200 million specifically for neighbourhood policing, and the introduction of new “respect orders“ aimed at cracking down on anti-social behaviour.
These pledges come against a backdrop of record levels of anti-social behaviour and shoplifting.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joins officers on patrol in Huntingdon, England, on April 10, 2025. Joe Giddens/PA Wire
The crime survey also revealed that police had recorded 1 million incidents of anti-social behaviour, with more than one-third (36 percent) of people experiencing or having witnessed anti-social behaviour, up from 34 percent the previous year.
Starmer blamed the last government for having “decimated” neighbourhood policing, saying it had become a “post code lottery” on what sort of service people got.
Law and Order ‘Taking a Back Seat’
Law and order is likely to be a key policy issue in the upcoming local elections, with a YouGov tracker showing that 63 percent of Britons think the government is handling crime badly, with just one in five (19 percent) thinking it’s going well.
In response to the prime minister’s plans, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said that the previous Conservative government had delivered record police officer numbers, “but law and order is taking a back seat under Labour.”
He also linked potential police job losses to the rise in employer national insurance contributions.
Philp told reporters, “Thanks to Labour’s jobs tax, our police services face a £118 million shortfall, putting over 1,800 police jobs at risk.”
“What’s more, the Metropolitan Police are cutting 1,700 jobs and services, including moving officers out of schools, making our streets and schools less safe,” he added.