Forces deliver first phase of Government guarantee

Police forces across England and Wales have successfully delivered the first phase of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, following an announcement from Government in April.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee aims to increase public confidence in policing and enhance the capability and capacity of the neighbourhood policing workforce to address anti-social behaviour (ASB) and focus on crime prevention. 

On 10 April, the Prime Minister announced specific commitments to be implemented by July, which are now successfully being delivered by all police forces.

Every community now has named, and contactable officers dedicated to addressing local issues, with neighbourhood policing teams (NPTs) spending the majority of their time in communities, providing visible patrols, engaging with residents and businesses, and offering regular opportunities for the public to raise concerns through beat meetings.

A further commitment was made to provide a meaningful response to neighbourhood queries within 72 hours, and every force now has a dedicated anti-social behaviour (ASB) lead to work directly with communities to develop action plans that tackle the concerns seen on their streets every day.

National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) programme lead for the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Catherine Akehurst, said:

“Over recent months, the NPCC has worked closely with forces to support, monitor, and track the implementation of these commitments.

“These achievements lay the foundation for the next phase of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, and the progress now sets a national minimum standard that communities across England and Wales can expect.

“Our next focus is to support forces with achieving the milestone over this Parliament of having 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and special constables in dedicated neighbourhood policing roles. These officers must demonstrably spend time on visible patrol and not be taken off the beat to plug shortages elsewhere.

“We have also started work with the College of Policing to devise and rollout a new neighbourhood policing career pathway to provide new training for officers, and standards for professional excellence to ensure neighbourhood policing is developed as a specialist policing capability.

“We have made some significant progress in delivering the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee in a very short space of time. It is about more than just increasing numbers; it is about rebuilding the vital connection between the public and the police.

“Effective investment in neighbourhood policing and the whole system means investment in stronger communities and, ultimately, safer streets.”