Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Antisocial Behaviour

Monday 22 November 2021 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ellie Reeves raised concerns about rising antisocial behaviour and thefts from cars in her constituency due to closed police stations.
  • The Minister highlighted the Government's neighbourhood hubs as an integral part of the response to crime.
  • Jonathan Gullis noted a 70% increase in antisocial behaviour across the country and a decrease in police visibility since the Conservatives took power.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ellie Reeves Lab Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement Community Security
Context

Police-recorded incidents of antisocial behaviour have been declining since 2013-14. Recent cuts to policing budgets and the closure of local police stations in Penge and Sydenham have raised concerns about rising levels of crime.

Question

Following Conservative cuts to the policing budget, the police stations in Penge and Sydenham have both closed. Meanwhile, reports of antisocial behaviour locally have been rising, and recently we have seen a sharp increase in thefts from cars. Will the Minister back Labour's plan to roll out neighbourhood police hubs to help tackle crime and antisocial behaviour and provide a visible police presence, or will she continue to let down our communities?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

The hon. Lady will know that our beating crime plan has set out that neighbourhood hubs are an integral part of the response. Policing in London is the responsibility of the Mayor of London. The Metropolitan Police Service is one of the best-funded forces in the whole country, receiving more than £3 billion in 2021-22, an increase of up to £132.4 million. It already has an additional 2,070 officers on the beat.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not explicitly back Labour's plan for neighbourhood police hubs and instead highlighted current funding and officer numbers without directly addressing the specific request.

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Q2 Ellie Reeves Lab Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Crime & Law Enforcement Community Security
Context

Local residents have raised concerns about antisocial behaviour in their community, specifically citing disruptive actions by a small group of youths.

Question

Last Thursday evening, I was at the Smallthorne Community Centre with the Smallthorne Village Residents Association, local Staffordshire police officers and police community support officers. One of the biggest issues that came up was the antisocial behaviour of a tiny minority of feral youths. Will the Minister tell me: what are we going to do about those youngsters and their parents, to get them out cleaning the streets and looking after the community so that they can pay back my local community for the lives they are ruining?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

My hon. Friend strongly represents the views of his constituents. None of us likes to see that type of low-level disruptive crime, which has a devastating impact on communities. I thank him for championing his police force. Our neighbourhood crime plan is an integral part of tackling such crimes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not specify actions against the youths or their parents and instead mentioned a general neighbourhood crime plan without concrete details.

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Q3 Jonathan Gullis
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

Reports indicate an increase in antisocial behaviour across the country, and concerns about visibility of police officers on the street have been raised.

Question

Antisocial behaviour is blighting communities: it has gone up by a woeful 70% across the country in the last year. Since the Conservatives took power, twice as many people say that they never see a police officer on the street. The Leader of the House said: “I have often found…that a quiet word from a police community support officer can nip…antisocial behaviour in the bud.”—[Official Report, 13 May 2021; Vol. 695, c. 273.] We totally agree. Will the Minister restore some of the 50% of PCSOs whose posts the Government have cut? Before the Minister says that she is recruiting 20,000 officers, let me point out that we know that only 400 of the first tranche of 6,000 are in neighbourhood roles. Will she give victims of antisocial behaviour the same rights as other crime victims—if the Government ever get round to publishing the victims Bill—or do they still think that what she describes as “low-level” antisocial behaviour is not worth tackling?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

The hon. Lady has taken my words out of context. Neighbourhood crime encompasses a vast spectrum of crimes that have a considerable impact on local communities, as I made clear at the Dispatch Box earlier. Those are a range of crimes that are at the centre of the Government's response in our beating crime plan. We have made it clear that increasing the number of police officers on the beat is a priority. We are already more than halfway through our plan to deliver an additional 20,000 police officers on the street. The neighbourhood crime plan is part of our plan. It is for local forces to determine the operational priorities in their areas.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to restoring PCSOs or prioritizing neighbourhood roles and instead highlighted general recruitment plans without specifics.

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