Neighbourhood policing is near extinct: Fewer than one in eight officers are ‘bobbies on the beat’
- Just 17,303 police officers in England and Wales were assigned to policing teams
Fewer than one in eight police officers are ‘bobbies on the beat’ – with neighbourhood policing near extinct in some areas of the country.
House of Commons Library research shows that in 2022, just 17,303 police officers across England and Wales were assigned to neighbourhood policing teams.
This is the equivalent of just 12 per cent of officers overall.
Cleveland Police had the lowest proportion dedicated to neighbourhood policing last year, with just 2 full-time equivalent officers. That was less than one per cent of the total force.
Dyfed-Powys Police (four per cent), Warwickshire Police (six per cent) and Surrey Police (seven per cent) were also among forces with the lowest proportion of officers assigned to neighbourhood police teams.
House of Commons Library research shows that in 2022, just 17,303 police officers across England and Wales were assigned to neighbourhood policing teams
Although the overall number of policemen has increased in recent years as a result of the government recruiting 20,000 more officers, neighbourhood policing has lagged far behind.
Between 2018 and 2022, the number of police officers in England and Wales increased 16 per cent. But neighbourhood policing team numbers rose just five per cent.
Fifteen of England and Wales’s 43 forces even had smaller neighbourhood police teams in 2022 compared to 2018, despite overall numbers of police offices increasing.
The number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) has also fallen by more than 4,000 since 2015 while many were promoted to full-time officers but not replaced.
The Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman, Alistair Carmichael, said: ‘Too few people are seeing ‘bobbies on the beat’ in their local communities – and these figures explain why
In April, The Daily Mail revealed how police are taking more than 18 hours to respond to urgent callouts such as burglaries and domestic incidents in some parts of the country.
Officers are also turning up to investigate less than one in four car thefts across England and Wales amid a surge in the crime. Just two per cent of car thefts result in a suspect being charged.
The latest research was commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, which has pledged to boost neighbourhood police numbers.
The party’s home affairs spokesman, Alistair Carmichael, said: ‘Too few people are seeing ‘bobbies on the beat’ in their local communities – and these figures explain why.
‘Time and again, we have seen frontline policing side-lined by this Conservative Government.
‘People are waiting hours for the police to show up while the vast majority of burglaries go unsolved.
‘It’s just not good enough. It’s time for the Home Secretary to finally commit to a return to community policing, where police officers are visible and trusted.’
The Home Office was contacted for comment.
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