£200 million boost to transform neighbourhood policing
Funding to kickstart the delivery of 13,000 more neighbourhood police officers has been doubled to £200 million to make the country’s streets safer.
Forces across England and Wales will now be given hugely increased resources to begin their recruitment to boost neighbourhood policing teams, helping to ensure that the government’s target for additional personnel is met by 2029.
After years of declining officer presence on Britain’s streets, this investment represents a crucial first step in rebuilding neighbourhood policing. This doubled funding – increased from December’s provisional £100 million commitment – reflects the scale of the challenges that many forces face, as well as the government’s determination to address them.
As part of a wider billion-pound boost to policing, this dedicated funding will strengthen local crime prevention and community safety. One of the government’s key pledges within its Plan for Change is that every neighbourhood will have a named, contactable officer, helping to restore the local knowledge and presence that effective neighbourhood policing demands.
These extra officers will see a return to the principles of British policing – where officers are part of the communities they serve and are focused on tackling crimes like antisocial behaviour, theft and knife crime that are blighting our communities.
Forces across England and Wales will be able to boost their local policing teams with this investment, scheduled for next financial year. Each force will set out their plans to government by early spring, showing how they’ll use their allocation to increase visible patrols.
The rebuilding of local, visible policing in all our communities will be supported by the government’s new Police Standards and Performance Improvement Unit and new standards for neighbourhood policing. In addition to thousands more personnel in neighbourhood policing roles, the government will continue to help forces to protect officer numbers.
Alongside more officers on the ground, the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill will give these officers the tools they need to keep our streets safe, including enhanced powers such as respect orders to tackle antisocial behaviour and shoplifting effectively. This investment, combined with new powers and local control over resources, marks the start of a long-term commitment to restore visible policing across the country.
This funding boost comes as the government publishes its final police funding settlement. Total funding to police forces across the country will be up to £17.5 billion next year, an increase of up to £1.1 billion compared to the 2024 to 2025 police funding settlement. This includes additional funding to support the costs of the pay awards, the increase in the employer national contributions and funding for officer maintenance.
Labour Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw has welcomed the additional funding and has reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening neighbourhood policing teams across the county. Building a stronger policing presence locally is a key priority for the Commissioner, which has been reflected in his budget for Lancashire Constabulary for the year ahead.
Presenting his 2025/26 budget proposals to the Police and Crime Panel, he outlined significant investment plans despite challenging financial pressures.
The budget includes a £5.65 million investment into neighbourhood policing, the force’s professional standards department, multi-agency safeguarding hubs, and digital investigations. Crucially, it also ensures the protection of police officer numbers, allowing Lancashire Constabulary to increase visible policing while also investing in IT and critical infrastructure to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
The funding will be targeted at key priorities identified by the public, including preventing violence against women and girls, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, addressing serious violent crime, whilst rebuilding trust and confidence in policing.
Cat Smith MP for Lancaster & Wyre adds: “This boost in funding is desperately needed and I am grateful that this government is working with our police forces and Police and Crime Commissioners to restore police presence in our communities after years of cuts and decimated numbers of bobbies on the beat.
“I am aware that many local businesses remain concerned about burglaries and slow police response times or, in some cases, no response at all. This is simply not good enough. I have raised these cases directly with the Police and Crime Commissioner and hope that these new measures will lead to an improvement in the local policing picture.”
Full Government briefing available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/200-million-boost-to-transform-neighbourhood-policing