Labour will promise to “get police back out in the community” as they focus their campaigning on tackling crime.
Speaking on Thursday, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper will reiterate the party’s pledge to put 13,000 neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs “back on the beat in communities across the country”, saying there will be “guaranteed neighbourhood patrols” to ensure their presence is visible to deter crime, as well as being able to catch criminals.
She will also vow to run a “hands-on Home Office” to regularly assess the department’s progress against Labour’s “missions” for government – which include cracking down on anti-social behaviour.
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Ms Cooper said: “On Rishi Sunak’s watch, 90% of crimes are going unsolved and knife-wielding muggers, phone thieves and pickpockets can get away with menacing our town centres and neighbourhoods.
“Ministers have done nothing to tackle the new organised crime wave that is hitting local shops and streets. That is the Tory legacy on law and order, and our communities are paying the price.
“Enough is enough. Labour will rebuild safety on Britain’s streets and take back our town centres from thugs and thieves, with 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the beat in our communities, tough new powers to crackdown on those who cause havoc on our high streets, and a mission to reverse the collapse in the number of crimes being solved.
“Labour will put an end to Tory chaos and be a government of law and order, putting the safety and security of our communities at its heart and taking back our streets”.
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But policing minister Chris Philp said the policy “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”, adding: “Only 3,000 of…
