Political Opinion: Jake Richards MP: Labour is cutting crime and bringing police back to neighbourhoods
Since becoming the MP for Rother Valley, I have met with thousands of residents, with many sharing their frustration at crime rates across the constituency. Whilst street crime surged under the Conservatives, Labour is working hard to deliver a police presence back into local areas, protecting residents and reviving the once collapsing neighbourhood police force.
New reforms introduced by the Home Secretary will help to tackle crime rates, speed up police response times and modernise policing for the digital age.
Police forces will respond faster to emergencies, with officers expected to reach serious incidents within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural communities, and 999 calls are to be answered within 10 seconds. Forces who fail to meet these new, high standards will face direct and swift intervention, including specialist turnaround teams sent in by the Home Secretary.
The current police force must also be able to work in the modern, digital era and that’s why I’m pleased that the reforms call for the recruitment of more crime analysts, cyber investigators and digital forensic specialists, to help track down fraudsters, online abusers and organised criminal networks. With 90 per cent of crimes now leaving a digital footprint, this is an essential step forward.
It is undeniable that communities have suffered as a direct result of the Tories and their weak approach towards policing. By the time they left office in 2024, there were over 18,000 fewer officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood roles than a decade earlier and more than half of the public said they never see a police officer on patrol.
We need to move forward from this, slashing the red tape and bureaucracy that have kept officers stuck behind desks. Police leaders must have the flexibility to build a strong workforce, with the right balance of frontline officers and specialist expertise. Every council ward will have named, contactable neighbourhood officers under the reforms.
Labour is working hard to ensure that policing meets the demands of modern society, protecting communities and keeping residents safe.