Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Police Funding: Havering

Monday 21 October 2024 · 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Andrew Rosindell questioned the Minister about increasing police funding for Havering, citing issues with officer morale and recruitment.
  • The Minister acknowledged the difficulties in the criminal justice system inherited from previous Conservative governments.
  • Meg Hillier asked about conversations with mobile phone manufacturers to reduce phone snatches and street crime.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Rosindell Reform Romford
Policing & Resources
Context

The question follows a period of increasing pressures on the police service, affecting morale, retention, recruitment, and crime-solving capacity.

Question

If she will increase funding for policing in the London borough of Havering. Given the increasing pressures on the police service, does the Minister accept that officer morale, retention, recruitment and ability to solve crimes are severely compromised, with police officers overworked, underpaid and subjected to unprecedented rises in bureaucratic processes—often dealing with things that police do not traditionally deal with, such as mental health care and social work?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The hon. Gentleman is a very experienced Member of this House. He has supported 14 years of Conservative government that have left us coming into government with a criminal justice system, including policing, that is in grave difficulty. I take the point that he raises, but he needs to recognise the role that he and his party have played in getting us to this point. Our aim now is to recruit more police officers, as the Home Secretary has said, and to increase neighbourhood policing as the bedrock of policing in this country.

Not addressed: The specific request for addressing officer morale, retention, recruitment, crime-solving capacity, and bureaucratic processes was not directly answered.

How: Blaming Previous Government, Changing Subject

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Q2 Andrew Rosindell Reform Romford
Policing & Resources
Context

The question arises from the context of ongoing pressures on police services and a need for additional resources.

Question

If she will increase funding for policing in the London borough of Havering. Given the increasing pressures on the police service, does the Minister accept that officer morale, retention, recruitment and ability to solve crimes are severely compromised, with police officers overworked, underpaid and subjected to unprecedented rises in bureaucratic processes—often dealing with things that police do not traditionally deal with, such as mental health care and social work?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The hon. Gentleman is a very experienced Member of this House. He has supported 14 years of Conservative government that have left us coming into government with a criminal justice system, including policing, that is in grave difficulty. I take the point that he raises, but he needs to recognise the role that he and his party have played in getting us to this point. Our aim now is to recruit more police officers, as the Home Secretary has said, and to increase neighbourhood policing as the bedrock of policing in this country.

Not addressed: The specific request for addressing officer morale, retention, recruitment, crime-solving capacity, and bureaucratic processes was not directly answered.

How: Blaming Previous Government, Changing Subject

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Q3 Meg Hillier Labour (Co-op) Hackney South and Shoreditch
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The question pertains to the growing issue of phone snatches by people on bikes in London, which is a form of street crime.

Question

We all want to see more funding for our police in Havering and Hackney and across London, but a reduction in crime would also help them. What conversations are Ministers having with mobile phone manufacturers to try to drive down phone snatches by people on bikes and reduce such street crime?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that point. Those conversations are ongoing; later this month, conversations will take place on what more can be done to ensure that the manufacturers take their responsibility seriously and do everything they can to stop the trade in parts, which is a particular issue with mobile phones.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about stopping the trade in parts was not fully addressed with concrete actions or timelines.

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