Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Diana Johnson and Gagan Mohindra

Monday 7th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

T7.   My thoughts are with the family of Jayesh Pitrola. Hertfordshire’s policing budget already faces a £7 million shortfall, and the recent spending review contained no direct funding from the Home Office to address that. Will the Home Secretary reassure my constituents, as well as our police and crime commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards, that Hertfordshire will benefit from more police officers without further local tax rises being required?

[The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention (Dame Diana Johnson)]

As the Home Secretary just pointed out, we have provided an additional £200 million this year to support new neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs for all our communities. I am very happy to meet the hon. Gentleman if he would like to discuss policing further, but this Government are committed to making sure that the police have the resources they need.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Diana Johnson and Gagan Mohindra

Monday 13th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

Several of my constituents in South Oxhey have unfortunately been the victims of burglary or attempted burglary. Will the Home Secretary outline the measures her Department is taking to allow the police to invest in technologies such as live facial recognition, which can make crimes such as burglary easier to solve?

[Dame Diana Johnson]

We are currently looking into whether there is a need for more regulation of live facial recognition, but I recognise that it is a very important tool to which the police should have access. I am having a series of stakeholder meetings with various groups to discuss how we take this forward, but I do recognise how important the technology is and how it can be a really positive way of identifying people and solving crimes.