'We're fixing the foundations': Home Secretary defends return to neighbourhood policing after 'decimation' under Tories
5 December 2024, 10:49
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended the government's decision to return to neighbourhood policing after "decimation" under the Tories.
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Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Ms Cooper hit out at the Conservatives for "undermining" policing during their time in power as they "stood at a distance shouting at police".
She said the government intended to "fix the foundations", with a transition back to community policing being a top priority.
In a speech billed as setting out the "next phase" of his Government, Sir Keir Starmer is expected to detail ambitious "milestones" for achieving the five missions laid out in Labour's manifesto.
Among the promises expected to be announced on Thursday is a pledge that every neighbourhood will have a named, contactable police officer responsible for dealing with local issues.
The Prime Minister is expected to describe the move as "a relief to millions of people scared to walk the streets they call home."
Yvette Cooper on where new neighbourhood police will work from
When asked where officers will work from after hundreds of station were closed down, Ms Cooper said: "They do have local community bases and work from existing police stations."
She continued: "In my constituency, for example, as well as having the main police station which is just outside my constituency, we also have a base where the neighbourhood police work from and they have additional offices in the heart of my constituency. It'll be different for different areas.
"The previous Conservative government really did decimate neighbourhood policing and community policing.
"We are fixing the foundations, we are turning things round and we’re setting the priorities straight.
"I think the biggest priority for most people is to see those police and PCSOs – those neighbourhood police officers – back in their communities and out on our streets. That is the most important priority for us."
Sir Keir will promise a number of reforms to improve policing performance, alongside £100 million to support neighbourhood policing.
Labour has already pledged to recruit 13,000 new police officers, Police Community Support Officer (PCSO’s), and special constables, which would bring the total police workforce to a level above its 2010 peak.
Police numbers fell steadily following the 2010 election, before rising again after 2019 as the previous government pledged to recruit 20,000 police officers.
While the number of officers reached record levels, the number of PCSOs and special constables continued to decline.
The promise of a named officer for each community is intended to improve relations between the police and the public.
Starmer's speech is expected to give more detail on Labour’s ‘five missions’ set out in their manifesto.
These missions include securing the "highest sustained growth" in the G7, making Britain a "clean energy superpower", halving serious violent crime, breaking down "barriers to opportunity" and building an NHS "fit for the future".
He will say: "My Government was elected to deliver change, and today marks the next step. People are tired of being promised the world, but short-term sticking plaster politics letting them down."
But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has already branded the speech an "emergency reset" after a challenging five months in office.
Downing Street said the milestones would focus on raising living standards, rebuilding Britain, ending hospital backlogs, putting more police on the beat, giving children the best start in life and securing home-grown energy.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Our neighbourhood policing guarantee is about more than just increasing numbers. It's about rebuilding the vital connection between the public and the police.
"This marks a return to the founding principles of British policing - where officers are part of the communities they serve."
But the Conservatives said only a third of the 13,000 new recruits would be full police officers, while the £100 million would not cover what was needed to pay for them, leading to cuts elsewhere.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: "The Conservatives recruited over 20,000 extra police officers and gave the police an extra £922 million for policing this year, ensuring the police could protect the public and prosecute more criminals.
"Starmer has once again misled the public by claiming to recruit an extra 13,000 officers when the actual number is 3,000, and even that is not properly funded."
The Prime Minister is also expected to propose a programme of public sector reform as his Government continues to face questions on how it will achieve its aims without further raising taxes or borrowing.
The Prime Minister will say: "Hard-working Brits are going out grafting every day but are getting short shrift from a politics that should serve them.
"They reasonably want a stable economy, their country to be safe, their borders secure, more cash in their pocket, safer streets in their town, opportunities for their children, secure British energy in their home, and an NHS that is there when they need it.
"My mission-led Government will deliver."
