Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Police Officer Numbers: Impact

Tuesday 16 May 2023 · 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

  • The successful delivery of the pledge to recruit 20,000 additional police officers is contributing positively by increasing investigations and charges and bringing more offenders to justice in courts.
  • The Government's Victims and Prisoners Bill aims to improve public and victims' confidence in the criminal justice system by placing the principles of the victims code onto the face of the Bill.
  • The Government is keeping 24 Nightingale courts open, increasing judicial recruitment and ensuring support through independent sexual violence advisers.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Dean Russell
Policing & Resources Justice & Courts
Context

The MP asks about recent assessments made regarding the impact of changing police officer numbers on the English and Welsh criminal justice system.

Question

What recent assessment has he made of the impact of changes in the number of police officers on the criminal justice system in England and Wales?

Answer from Alex Chalk

The successful delivery of the pledge to recruit 20,000 additional police officers is contributing positively by increasing investigations and charges and bringing more offenders to justice in courts.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Lacks a specific assessment or analysis on how changes impact the criminal justice system.

How: Ingeniously Done, Mr Speaker.

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Q2 Dean Russell
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP highlights a memorial football tournament organised by the Josh Hanson Trust in memory of Joshua Hanson who died at age 21 due to knife crime. The trust supports those who have lost loved ones to violent crime.

Question

What steps will my right hon. and learned Friend take to ensure that victims and their families are supported throughout the criminal justice process and that their voices are heard loudly and acted upon?

Answer from Alex Chalk

The Government's Victims and Prisoners Bill aims to improve the public's and victims' confidence in the criminal justice system by placing the principles of the victims code onto the face of the Bill. This ensures what victims can expect from the criminal justice system.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Lacks specifics on steps being taken beyond mentioning a bill.

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Q3 Meg Hillier Labour (Co-op) Hackney South and Shoreditch
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP notes that the addition of police officers will lead to more court cases, but highlights a Public Accounts Committee finding concerning the backlog in courts. She challenges the adequacy of planning for managing new cases alongside existing backlogs.

Question

Can he give us any up-to-date reassurance on proper planning for how those additional cases will be managed on top of the existing court backlog?

Answer from Alex Chalk

The Government is keeping 24 Nightingale courts open, increasing judicial recruitment and ensuring support through independent sexual violence advisers. Magistrates courts have reduced backlogs by the end of 2020 due to their efforts, though there are pressures in the Crown court.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific up-to-date planning or reassurance regarding managing additional cases is provided.

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