Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 22 of the Police reform white paper, From Local to National: A New Model for Policing (CP1489), by when will she design new standards so that neighbourhood officers are not routinely abstracted to other areas.

Visible and responsive local policing is essential to restoring public confidence. The Government is committed to rebuilding neighbourhood policing and restoring the vital link between police forces and the communities they serve.

As part of our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we are working with forces to develop national abstraction standards for delivery by the end of this Parliament. These will protect the additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers from being routinely abstracted so they can focus on tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhoods.