Political opinion: MP welcomes Labour's plan to cut crime and bring neighbourhood policing back
Alex Ballinger, Labour's MP for Halesowen, has welcomed major new policing reforms announced by the Home Secretary, saying they will help tackle rising crime, speed up police response times and rebuild neighbourhood policing.
The reforms will force police forces to respond faster to emergencies - with officers expected to reach serious incidents within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural communities, and 999 calls answered within 10 seconds. Forces that fail to meet these standards will face direct intervention, including specialist turnaround teams sent in by the Home Secretary.
Alongside faster response times, the reforms will modernise policing for the digital age. With around 90 per cent of crime now leaving a digital footprint, police forces across England and Wales will recruit more crime analysts, cyber investigators and digital forensics specialists to help track down fraudsters, online abusers and organised criminal networks.
Alex Ballinger MP said the changes would make a real difference to communities like Halesowen that have been left waiting too long for help.
Alongside faster response times, Labour’s reforms will slash the red tape and bureaucracy that have kept officers stuck behind desks, while giving police leaders the flexibility to build a workforce with the right mix of frontline officers and specialist expertise. This will put more officers back on the streets, while ensuring forces have the skills needed to uncover vital evidence on phones and laptops and secure more convictions for serious crimes such as fraud, child sexual abuse and organised crime.
Every council ward will have named, contactable neighbourhood officers, with residents guaranteed a response to local concerns within 72 hours.
Local forces will also be held to clear national standards on neighbourhood policing levels, response times and crime outcomes, with results published so the public can see how their force is performing.
At the same time, the creation of a new National Police Service will take responsibility for tackling serious and organised crime such as terrorism, fraud and online abuse - freeing up local officers to focus on everyday crimes like shoplifting, antisocial behaviour and street theft.
The reforms form part of the biggest overhaul of policing in two centuries, set out in the Home Secretary’s White Paper, From local to national: a new model for policing. They include the introduction of a Licence to Practise for police officers, raising standards and ensuring officers receive the training, development and support needed to meet the demands of modern policing.
Labour’s Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Everyday crimes are on the rise across the country and too often there seem to be no consequences.
“People are reporting crimes and then waiting hours or even days for a response. By the time the police arrive, the perpetrators and witnesses are long gone.
“I will restore neighbourhood policing and scale up patrols in communities to catch criminals and cut crime.”
Alex Ballinger, Labour’s MP for Halesowen, added: “After years of failure and rising crime under the Conservatives, Labour is taking tough, practical action - restoring visible neighbourhood policing, speeding up police responses, raising standards and holding forces to account.
"I know this will made a real difference to the lives of people in Halesowen, with our police better equipped to catch criminals, cut crime and making sure people feel safe again in their communities.”
