Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Police Officer Numbers

Monday 9 November 2020 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government committed to increasing police officers by 20,000 over three years
  • Government has already recruited 5,824 additional officers as of September end
  • Chief constable is increasing policing and patrols across the region in rural areas

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Julian Sturdy Con
Policing & Resources
Context

N/A, general inquiry about increasing police numbers.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to increase the number of police officers.

Answer from Priti Patel

This Government are committed to increasing the number of police officers by 20,000 over the next three years. They have already recruited 5,824 additional officers as part of their uplift programme as of the end of September.

Answered
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Q2 Sarah Dines
Policing & Resources
Context

The MP asks for confirmation that the Government will look at increasing police stations, specifically mentioning Bakewell police station.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the Government not only are committed to increasing police officers, including in rural areas, but will look at increasing the number of police stations in rural areas, such as reopening Bakewell police station in my constituency?

Answer from Priti Patel

The Government are committed to increasing police officers, including in rural areas. For her local area, 72 additional officers have been recruited. Her chief constable and police and crime commissioner should be receptive to receiving new officers and the resources needed for more stations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment on reopening Bakewell police station specifically

How: Should Be Receptive

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Q3 Katherine Fletcher
Policing & Resources Community Security
Context

Concerns raised in rural areas about youth groups, potential drug use and antisocial behaviour. The MP asks if some of the additional officers can be used to target these issues.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that some of the additional police officers could be used to target rural areas where the force is stretched?

Answer from Priti Patel

The chief constable is increasing policing and patrols across the region. In a rural area, more resources mean putting more officers on the beat to deal with rural crime and antisocial behaviour.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to deploying additional police in specific areas for targeted issues

How: Chief Constable Is Increasing

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Q4 Julian Sturdy Con
Policing & Resources Community Security
Context

Following a break-in and increased antisocial behaviour reports in more rural areas around York, the MP asks for efforts to improve police presence.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that our efforts to increase the number of police officers should be used to improve rural police response times?

Answer from Priti Patel

The Government are committed that additional resources for all forces will bolster communities when it comes to keeping the public safe, including in rural communities and tackling root causes of crimes in constituencies.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment on improving response times

How: Bolstering Communities

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