Named officer for every community in police push

Every neighbourhood in England and Wales will get a named, contactable police officer, the prime minister is to promise in a major speech.

The pledge will be part of Sir Keir Starmer's "plan for change", which will include six targets in key policy areas covering the economy, housebuilding, the NHS, policing and pre-school education.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said an extra £100m next year would fund 1,200 new police officers to help meet the government's promise of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police over the course of this Parliament.

However, the Conservatives said only a third of the new recruits would be full police officers and the plan was not properly funded.

Cooper said the pledge was about more than just increasing police numbers but "rebuilding the vital connection between the public and the police" so "officers are part of the communities they serve".

"Through this visible, responsive police presence in every neighbourhood, we will restore the trust and partnership that lies at the heart of keeping our communities safe," she added.

The idea of having a named officer in every community is not new and some forces already do this.

There is little evidence increased patrols make a significant difference to cutting crime but they can improve trust in the police.

However, some argue that if a named officer is unavailable or unresponsive this could further damage confidence.

The promise to recruit 13,000 additional neighbourhood police, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and special constables was part of Labour's election manifesto.

The Police Federation of England and Wales, the staff association for officers, has welcomed the government's recruitment drive.

But it has warned that officer morale is low due to real-terms pay cuts, with the federation's last survey finding 22% of respondents said they were planning to leave within the next two years.

Police numbers fell following the 2010 election, before rising again after 2019 as the Conservative government pledged to recruit 20,000 new officers.

While the number of officers reached record levels, the number of PCSOs and special constables continued to decline.

Conservative Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "The Conservatives recruited over 20,000 extra police officers and gave the police an extra £922m for policing this year, ensuring the police could protect the public and prosecute more criminals.

"Starmer has once again misled the public by claiming to recruit an extra 13,000 officers when the actual number is 3,000, and even that is not properly funded."