Satvir Kaur, Labour MP for Southampton Test, has welcomed the government successfully making sure every community in their constituency and across the country has a named, contactable police officer. This marks a major milestone as the Labour Government continues to deliver on its Plan for Change.
As part of Labour’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee which will see 13,000 extra neighbourhood officers and PCSOs patrolling local communities over the next 4 years, people living in Shirley, Portswood, Redbridge, Millbrook and across the city will now have a direct link to their local police force, with dedicated anti-social behaviour leads and new visible patrols in town centres.
In addition to bolstering police presence in our communities, the Labour Government has also announced the rollout of ten new Live Facial Recognition (LFR) vans to seven forces across the country, equipping officers with targeted, cutting-edge technology to help catch high-harm criminals.
This technology will now be deployed to forces in Thames Valley and Hampshire (jointly), Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire and Surrey and Sussex (jointly). Police forces including the Metropolitan Police and South Wales have already seen success with their own live facial recognition deployments. The Met reported that in 12 months they made 580 arrests using LFR for offences including, rape, domestic abuse, knife crime, GBH and robbery, including 52 registered sex offenders arrested for breaching their conditions.
The new units will operate according to strict rules, which ensure they are only deployed when there is specific intelligence to warrant its use.
Neighbourhood police patrols were decimated across 14 years of Conservative Government and communities were badly let down as a result. The number of PCSOs was slashed by half, while Special Constable numbers were cut by two-thirds.
The number of people who regularly see police patrolling in their local area has halved in the past decade, and under the last Conservative government, shoplifting soared to record levels - with a staggering 70% increase in their last two years in office alone.
Through Labour’s Plan for Change, the government is determined to put communities first. There are set to be 3,000 new police officers and PCSOs embedded into forces across the country by the start of 2026, with 65 set to join the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary - thanks to a £200 million funding boost from the Home Office. This marks crucial progress towards the government’s commitment to boost neighbourhood officer and PCSO levels by 50% by the next General Election.
This announcement is part of the government’s core mission to deliver safer streets for communities across the country. and follows the launch of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative, which is delivering increased patrols and enforcement in over 500 town centres nationwide.
Labour’s Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP, said: “Neighbourhood policing was decimated under the Tories, but through our Plan for Change, this Labour Government is bringing the bobby on the beat back. Already this summer, 500 towns and city centres have got extra neighbourhood police patrols, as part of the 3,000 additional neighbourhood officers and PCSOs we are investing in this year. At the same time, we are bringing in new powers to tackle off-road bikes, shop theft, street theft. For too long under the Tories, town centre crime was treated as low level. Instead, we’ve made it a priority because communities need to feel safe.
“We are extending targeted facial recognition, alongside clear safeguards, to help the police catch wanted criminals and suspects for serious crimes.
“The 10 new vans, across 7 police forces, alongside the new legal framework we are developing means that new technology can be trialled alongside clear safeguards to better keep communities safe.”
Satvir Kaur, Labour MP for Southampton Test, said: “The Conservatives dismantled neighbourhood policing as crimes like shoplifting and street theft rocketed out of control. That is the Tory legacy on law and order, and communities like ours paid a heavy price.
“I know having a named, contactable neighbourhood police officer and increased street patrols will make a huge difference to my constituents from Portswood to Millbrook. The number of people who see a bobby on the beat has halved in the past decade, but we all deserve town centres and high streets free from crime and safe for the public.
“I’m proud that the Labour Government’s Plan for Change is delivering for our communities, putting 13,000 new neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs back on the streets over the next 4 years.”
