Oral Answers to Questions

Gerald Jones Excerpts

Monday 13th July 2026 Commons Chamber

[Matt Turmaine (Watford) (Lab)]

9. What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the high streets organised crime unit.

[Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) (Lab)]

15. What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the high streets organised crime unit.

[Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield) (Lab)]

20. What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the high streets organised crime unit.

--- Later in debate ---

[Shabana Mahmood]

We are certainly starting on that long road to making all our communities safe. We have made good progress so far in this Parliament, with knife crime and knife homicides down very significantly. There are of course 3,000 additional police officers and police community support officers in neighbourhood policing as well. We will make more progress as the Government roll out the measures in our Crime and Policing Act 2026, as well as the wider high streets strategy, which includes the crackdown I have announced, but is part of wider work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

[Gerald Jones]

Many of my constituents want tougher action against the criminals who hide behind businesses such as rogue barber shops, vape shops and mini-marts, which are a blight on many high streets in my constituency. Can the Home Secretary update the House on what the Government are doing to tackle this type of offending, and get these dodgy shops closed once and for all?

[Shabana Mahmood]

That is precisely what this new national crackdown is designed to do. The additional money will put more officers on the street to raid dodgy shops and other premises. We are also providing funding for trading standards and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, because we know that this multi-layered problem requires assistance from other professionals. Immigration enforcement will also receive additional funding as part of this crackdown. We are determined to make sure that our high streets are safe places for communities to use.

Police Reform White Paper

Gerald Jones Excerpts

Monday 26th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Shabana Mahmood]

I bow to the hon. Gentleman’s greater knowledge of House of Commons trivia; I am sure that he has been an excellent member of every pub quiz team that he has ever been a part of.

The review will look at how we deliver regional forces, so it will mean a significant reduction in the number of forces. However, it will advise on the correct number of regional forces and how we should go about implementing that policy.

[Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) (Lab)]

The Home Secretary’s proposals will allow for a new focus on community policing and engagement, which was proven to work under the last Labour Government. By far the biggest issue that I come across is the lack of feedback to victims of crime. With the proposals that she has announced and with technology improving all the time, will she commit to looking at that to see whether it can be improved for residents and constituents, as well as improving trust and accountability in policing?

[Shabana Mahmood]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I think we could make a lot of progress if we could ensure that the victims’ code was implemented consistently across the country, and I know the Justice Secretary also wishes to make sure there is greater adherence to all the requirements of the code. In the end, policing is a public service; it is there for members of the public, and to give victims of crime confidence that their case will be dealt with fairly and as quickly as possible and that criminals are brought to justice. That is exactly why we are making these reforms.