Stephen Morgan MP has welcomed major new policing reforms announced by the Home Secretary, saying they will help tackle rising crime, speed up police response times and rebuild neighbourhood policing after years of Conservative failure.
The reforms will force police forces to respond faster to emergencies – with officers expected to reach serious incidents within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural communities, and 999 calls answered within 10 seconds. Forces that fail to meet these standards will face direct intervention, including specialist turnaround teams sent in by the Home Secretary.
Alongside faster response times, the reforms will modernise policing for the digital age. With around 90 per cent of crime now leaving a digital footprint, police forces across England and Wales will recruit more crime analysts, cyber investigators and digital forensics specialists to help track down fraudsters, online abusers and organised criminal networks.
Stephen Morgan MP said the changes would make a real difference to communities in Portsmouth that have been left waiting too long for help.
New analysis shows that under the last Conservative government, street crime surged -with shoplifting up by around 70 per cent and theft from the person rising by around 60 per cent – while neighbourhood policing collapsed.
By the time the Tories left office, there were more than 18,000 fewer officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood roles than a decade earlier, and more than half of the public said they never see a police officer on patrol.
These reforms follow Mr Morgan joining a neighbourhood police team for a beat shift in Southsea during the Christmas and New Years recess as they tackled issues raised by local people.
During the shift, Mr Morgan discussed the vital work of designated Neighbourhood Officers to tackle crime and keep our city’s streets safe, with officers sharing their experiences of their crucial day to day work and the challenges they are facing.
Alongside faster response times, Labour’s reforms will slash the red tape and bureaucracy that have kept officers stuck behind desks, while giving police leaders the flexibility to build a workforce with the right mix of frontline officers and specialist expertise.
This will put more officers back on the streets, while ensuring forces have the skills needed to uncover vital evidence on phones and laptops and secure more convictions for serious crimes such as fraud, child sexual abuse and organised crime.
Every council ward will have named, contactable neighbourhood officers, with residents guaranteed a response to local concerns within 72 hours.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“Labour is introducing long-needed reforms that will support local police forces’ ability to crack down on anti-social behaviour and crime.
“I am reassured that these reforms will build trust and confidence in policing and help make Portsmouth’s streets safer.”
