Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Neighbourhood Policing

Monday 15 September 2025 · 6 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 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Perran Moon inquired about the status of neighbourhood policing in Camborne and Redruth, receiving an offer to meet the Minister for Policing and Crime.
  • Sureena Brackenridge expressed concerns about underfunding and insufficient officer numbers in Wolverhampton North East, prompting a response that decisions on funding allocations will be made later in the year.
  • Tom Morrison questioned why Cheadle was not included in the summer blitz against antisocial behaviour, leading the Minister to promise to ask officials about the specific area.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Perran Moon Lab Camborne and Redruth
Policing & Resources
Context

The Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner previously announced that Camborne would be a focus for neighbourhood policing efforts, but there has been little evidence of increased focus since. Additionally, Redruth was not considered due to its lack of business improvement district status.

Question

Camborne in my constituency is meant to have improved focus on neighbourhood policing, but this hasn't happened yet. Meanwhile, Redruth wasn't a priority because it's not a business improvement district. Neighbourhood policing performance in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle are linked. Will the Home Secretary meet me and Cornish colleagues to discuss neighbourhood policing across Cornwall?

Answer from The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Shabana Mahmood)

I am very sorry to hear about those issues with the police and crime commissioner in my hon. Friend’s local area. It is important that those concerns are listened to. I would be very happy for him to meet the Minister for Policing and Crime, my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon West (Sarah Jones).

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Home Secretary did not commit to meeting with Perran Moon directly but suggested meeting another minister.

How: Working With Partners

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Q2 Sureena Brackenridge Lab Wolverhampton North East
Policing & Resources
Context

The West Midlands police force has fewer officers than in 2010 due to previous cuts, with a funding shortfall of £40 million per year compared to other regions.

Question

Wolverhampton North East has seen positive steps towards strengthening neighbourhood policing. However, there are still concerns about the underfunding and insufficient officer numbers as compared to 2010 levels. Will my right hon. Friend review the funding formula to ensure fair allocation for Wolverhampton?

Answer from The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Shabana Mahmood)

As a fellow west midlands Member of Parliament, I of course hear my hon. Friend’s concerns, but she will understand that, as with previous years, decisions on police force funding allocations will be made via the police funding settlement, which is taking place later in the year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Home Secretary did not commit to reviewing the funding formula at this time.

How: Awaiting Further Information

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Q3 Tom Morrison Lib Dem Cheadle
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The Prime Minister promised a summer blitz to address antisocial behaviour, but Mr Morrison's constituents reported increased issues such as police officers being attacked and schools broken into.

Question

Despite the promise of a summer blitz against antisocial behaviour with more funding and officers for our constituencies, Cheadle has seen even more problems this summer. Why wasn't my area included in the initiative?

Answer from The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Shabana Mahmood)

More than 500 town centres across England and Wales have seen the benefits of that summer initiative. I will ask my officials questions about the hon. Gentleman’s area in particular, but it is an important model that we have trialled this year. We look forward to building on it as we ensure we have the local responses and neighbourhood policing to deal with local concerns, building confidence so that people can enjoy our town centres as they used to do.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Home Secretary did not provide a clear reason for excluding Cheadle from the initiative.

How: Seeking Further Information

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Q4 Lorraine Beavers Lab Blackpool North and Fleetwood
Policing & Resources
Context

The government has committed to the neighbourhood policing guarantee, aiming to restore police presence in town centres after years of cuts.

Question

I welcome the Government’s commitment to the neighbourhood policing guarantee. How will Lancashire and specifically my constituency benefit from this initiative?

Answer from The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Shabana Mahmood)

The neighbourhood policing guarantee is absolutely critical to dealing with the issues that my hon. Friend raises and to raising confidence more generally. The guarantee will ensure that all areas, including her constituency, will have a named, dedicated officer, guaranteed patrols and reliable response times, and will give communities absolute clarity about local policing priorities.

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Q5 Ben Obese-Jecty Con Huntingdon
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

Last week was Rural Crime Action Week, and the MP had an opportunity to join Cambridgeshire constabulary's rural crime action team. The team is covering a huge county with just 14 officers, who have been reclassified from operational support unit officers to neighbourhood policing officers.

Question

I recently had an opportunity to join Cambridgeshire constabulary’s rural crime action team to see the work that it does, despite having to cover a huge county of eight constituencies with just 14 officers. Those officers have recently been reallocated from being designated operational support unit officers to neighbourhood policing officers, thus bolstering the number of officers the Government will classify as neighbourhood police and helping them to reach the target of 3,000 officers. However, those officers are neither new nor dedicated neighbourhood police. Can the Home Secretary explain why she is artificially inflating neighbourhood policing numbers by reclassifying those in specialist roles?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

The Government’s policy position is to ensure that the policing resource that we have focuses on neighbourhood policing, because we know that visible neighbourhood policing increases the confidence that communities have in going about their business and helps us to take back our town centres from those who indulge in low-level criminality—which is not low level, because it harms people and their confidence in their own communities. That is why we make no secret and are not ashamed of our neighbourhood policing guarantee.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Home Secretary did not address the specific reclassification issue mentioned by the MP and instead focused on general policy benefits of neighbourhood policing.

How: Changing Subject

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Q6 Lincoln Jopp Con Spelthorne
Policing & Resources
Context

Police numbers are reportedly declining under the current Labour Government.

Question

Very simple question: why are police numbers coming down under a Labour Government?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

This Government are focusing on delivering neighbourhood policing. We are going to have 3,000 neighbourhood police officers by April 2026, with 13,000—as we committed in our manifesto—by the end of the Parliament.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Home Secretary did not directly address why police numbers are declining but instead focused on future commitments to neighbourhood policing.

How: Changing Subject

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