Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan has said Labour’s plans to tackle crime in our communities are making Portsmouth’s streets safer.
Mr Morgan made the comments while on a patrol with Portsmouth neighbourhood police where he saw the immediate impact of Labour’s Safer Streets summer crackdown, with extra officers on the seafront, Palmerston Road and areas of high anti-social behaviour during peak times.
The city MP also took the opportunity to thank local police for “the courageous work they carry out on a daily basis” to keep Portsmouth people safe.
Following measures introduced by the Labour Government, from today every neighbourhood across England and Wales now has named, contactable police officers.
As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to put 13,000 more officers into communities by 2029, the public will have consistent direct links to their local force, with dedicated anti-social behaviour leads and new visible patrols in town centres.
More than 500 towns and cities have also signed up to the Home Secretary’s Safer Streets summer crackdown, including Portsmouth, which is seeing increased patrols in crime hotspots to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Increased police presence will be accompanied by stronger prevention and enforcement action by police, councils and other local partners.
The blitz comes as part of the Labour Government’s Plan for Change, which will also put 13,000 more police personnel in neighbourhood roles over the course of this Parliament, backed by a £200m cash injection in the first year.
Commenting Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“It was great to go out on patrol again with our local police to see the courageous work they carry out on a daily basis and see the impact of the Government’s Safer Streets summer crackdown.
“For years, I have been calling for Portsmouth communities to have named, contactable police officers they can rely on, and I am pleased the Labour Government has helped make this a reality.
“I’d like to thank the local police for showing me the crime hotspots in our city and for their work every day to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. I will keep doing everything I can to ensure they have the resources and powers to keep Portsmouth people safe.”
Mr Morgan has long campaigned for safer streets and more bobbies back on the beat. You can back his campaign here.
In addition to bolstering police presence in communities, the Home Office is announcing the rollout of 10 new Live Facial Recognition (LFR) vans to seven forces across the country, including Hampshire, equipping officers with targeted, cutting-edge technology to catch high-harm criminals.
The new vans will operate according to strict rules, which ensure they are only deployed when there is specific intelligence. The College of Policing has clear guidance on how the technology should be used.
These vehicles enable law enforcement to target and locate wanted criminals and suspects for the most serious crimes including sex offences, violent assaults, homicide and serious and organised crime. Forces already using LFR have used it to arrest rape, domestic abuse, knife crime and robbery suspects as well as sex offenders breaching their conditions. The technology has also been used to maintain safety at big public events.
Existing safeguards require checks only to be done against police watchlists of wanted criminals, suspects and those subject to bail or court order conditions like sex offenders. Watchlists are bespoke to every deployment, with officers following strict guidance from the College of Policing guidance when composing a list.
