Keir Starmer confirms when first 3,000 new police officers will be recruited

The first 3,000 new police officers promised by Keir Starmer will be hired by the start of next year, the PM has announced.

today announces thousands more neighbourhood police officers across England and Wales.

The Prime Minister was joined by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in Cambridgeshire, where they vowed to turn the tide in the battle against thugs and thieves. Earlier Ms Cooper said local police teams have been "decimated" - piling misery on communities.

The new officers are the first step in Labour's promise to bulk up neighbourhood teams by 13,000 by 2029. Under the Government's plans each neighbourhood will have a named and contactable officer - while compulsory hotspot patrols will be ordered at peak times.

This morning Ms Cooper told Sky News: "Neighbourhood policing has been decimated across the country in recent years. We've seen over the last ten years more than 10,000 neighbourhood police go.

"That's really damaging in communities. You just don't see the police on the beat anymore. So our plan is to restore neighbourhood policing - that community police, the bobbie on the beat. We're setting out the first step, the increase in neighbourhood policing later today."

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The PM said it will end a policing postcode lottery after antisocial behaviour was allowed to fester under the Tories. He said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure on the streets they call home. It is just about the most basic right that anyone would expect.

"Yet for years crimes such as shoplifting and antisocial behaviour have wreaked havoc on our neighbourhoods. Policing has become reactive, picking up the pieces after crimes have occurred."

Baroness Newlove, Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, said: “Some of the most harmful and enduring anti-social behaviour takes place in residential communities - away from the town centres and out of sight. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee has real potential, but its impact will depend on trained officers who have the support and skills to be able to respond to every report - whether from a busy high street or a quiet cul-de-sac.”

And John Hayward-Cripps, Chief Executive of Neighbourhood Watch said the changes will improve links between police and the public. He said:“The advantage of having a named officer is that it humanises the relationship between the police and the community.

"People report greater trust and confidence in the police when they can reach out to an officer who knows their area, and the communities who live there. Evidence suggests that patrols alone don’t make a significant difference to cutting crime, what is effective is combining them with community engagement."

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