Oral Answers to Questions

Alice Macdonald Excerpts

Monday 17th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mohammad Yasin (Bedford) (Lab)]

5. What steps her Department is taking to introduce more neighbourhood police officers.

[Alice Macdonald (Norwich North) (Lab/Co-op)]

20. What steps her Department is taking to introduce more neighbourhood police officers.

[The Minister for Policing and Crime (Sarah Jones)]

As part of the neighbourhood policing guarantee, we have made £200 million available to police forces this financial year to kick-start the journey towards delivering 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel. By April 2026, there will be 3,000 more neighbourhood police across England and Wales, strengthening police visibility and neighbourhood policing to help to deter, prevent and respond to crime.

[Sarah Jones]

I am pleased to see the progress made, and I would love to visit again, as I did with the Prime Minister in opposition, to see that progress in action. There are two aspects to where we are, and we will be making significant changes. One is through the Crime and Policing Bill, which contains new powers for us to tackle antisocial behaviour in our town centres—respect orders being just one example. Our wider police reform will also look at the entire policing landscape in a way that the Opposition completely failed to do in government. We will make it more efficient and effective and ensure that our police are targeted where the public want them in our communities.

[Alice Macdonald]

Recently, I visited Mile Cross with local councillors and members of Mile Cross Litterbusters, a local voluntary group that does excellent work to clean up the area, but they really should not have to. Fly-tipping is a real challenge in this area and in other parts of Norwich, so I welcome the pledge to increase neighbourhood police officers. Can the Minister assure me that they will have the powers and presence to be able to tackle fly-tipping, can she advise on any other measures that could be taken to crack down on this issue that blights so many neighbourhoods?