A think-tank has urged the Government to launch a recruitment drive to boost police numbers and restore trust in neighbourhood policing.
The number of people who feel the Government is handling the issue of crime ‘well’ has halved since 2020, and the public has also noticed the decline in neighbourhood policing, centre right think-tank Onward said.
Onward’s new report urges the Government to launch an uplift programme to hire 19,000 neighbourhood officers, made up of 3,000 police officers, 10,000 police community support officers (PCSOs), and 6,000 special constables.
The programme should be funded by removing the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) precept cap and introducing a ringfenced Home Office grant, the report adds.
It also calls for the creation of new ‘pop up’ police stations in disused high street premises, the use of facial recognition technology to tackle theft and drug offences, and expanded baseline powers for PCSOs.
The report has been endorsed by 10 PCCS.
Home secretary James Cleverly said: ‘Onward have focused their report on an area of policing that deserves attention – and one that I am absolutely committed to.
‘Whilst we may not support each and every one of their proposals, I welcome the thinking that Onward have provoked and would encourage policing to read it carefully.’
