Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they define (1) a ‘neighbourhood’, and (2) a 'visible patrol', in relation to their Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee (NPG) commitments, which were met in July 2025, were delivered in line with police forces’ existing neighbourhood structures based on local needs shaped by a range of factors, including geography, crime types, urban or rural context, and population size and density. The NPG confirms by the end of this Parliament, we will work with forces and local councils to define neighbourhood areas to be locally recognisable and practical for policing.

Neighbourhood policing teams are spending the majority of their time within their communities, undertaking patrols and actively engaging with residents and businesses to tackle issues that matter to their communities, such as anti-social behaviour. Police forces are increasing town centre patrols based on local demand and intelligence.