Government plan to cut crime and restore neighbourhood policing in Plymouth
- Record police funding for Devon & Cornwall, with a share of a record £18.4 billion national police budget
- Neighbourhood policing guaranteed, with every Plymouth neighbourhood having a named, contactable neighbourhood officer, rebuilding trust and visibility in local communities
- Faster responses and safer streets, with new national response standards and less bureaucracy putting more officers back on patrol and improving emergency response times
Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, has welcomed Labour’s major reforms to policing, saying they will help cut crime in Plymouth, restore neighbourhood policing and ensure communities feel safe and supported.
Plymouth has faced devastating tragedies in recent years, which have left a deep and lasting impact on families and communities across the city. Luke Pollard has said these events underline the importance of strong, visible policing that works hand in hand with early intervention, mental health services and community support.
However, it is also clear that everyday crimes are on the rise across the country and too often, there seems to be no consequences, with people waiting hours or even days for a response when they do report a crime.
Under Labour’s plans, police forces will be required to meet clear national response time standards, with officers expected to attend serious incidents within 15 minutes in urban areas like Plymouth and emergency calls answered within 10 seconds. Forces that fail to meet these standards will face direct intervention to drive improvement.
Crucially for Plymouth, the reforms are backed by record police funding.
Police forces across England and Wales will receive £18.4 billion, the largest investment in British policing history. Funding next year will be 11 per cent higher in real terms than under the Conservatives, with Devon & Cornwall Police receiving a significant funding increase to support neighbourhood policing and crime prevention.
The funding model will also be reformed to ensure officers are out from behind desks and back in communities. Labour will scrap the system that pushed thousands of trained officers into back-office roles and instead introduce a Neighbourhood Policing Ringfence, ensuring funding is used to support frontline policing on Plymouth’s streets.
As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, every council ward will have named, contactable neighbourhood officers, with residents guaranteed a response to local concerns within 72 hours. Devon & Cornwall Police will also gain additional neighbourhood officer roles as Labour works towards 13,000 neighbourhood officers nationally by the end of the Parliament.
Alongside neighbourhood policing, Labour’s reforms will modernise policing for the digital age. With most crime now involving phones, laptops or online activity, police forces will recruit more crime analysts, cyber investigators and digital forensics specialists, freeing up local officers to focus on tackling antisocial behaviour, shoplifting and street crime.
Luke Pollard MP said:
“Plymouth knows all too well the consequences when communities are failed – the tragedy in Keyham is something our city will never forget.
“That is why restoring visible neighbourhood policing matters so much. People deserve to feel safe, to know their local officers, and to trust that when they need help, it will arrive quickly.
“Labour is backing our police with record funding and clear standards, putting officers back on the beat and ensuring our communities are supported, protected and never left behind again.”
Luke Pollard says the reforms are about learning lessons, rebuilding trust and preventing harm, ensuring Plymouth’s communities are safer and better supported in the years ahead.