This is part of the Labour’s ‘Take Back Our Streets’ iniative, aiming for residents to ‘have a named officer to turn to when things go wrong.’
Yvette Cooper visited Slough to outline the initiative, which involves £100 million being distributed across the country to increase the number of neighbourhood police officers.
This comes after Thames Valley Police (TVP) already doubled its neighbourhood officer numbers, contributing to a drop in crime.
However, Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, expressed concerns about the new funding.
He stated that while any additional investment is welcome, the announced sum falls short of covering current financial pressures.
The police pay rise and national insurance increase are expected to create a £3.2 million shortfall next year.
Mr. Barber also clarified that the widely reported ‘13,000’ new neighbourhood officers actually amounts to only 3,000 new officers funded nationwide.
He also mentioned that having a named officer for every community is not a new initiative, and has been in practice for years.
Residents can find out about their local team of officers and how to contact them by visiting the TVP website.
The details of how the new funding will be distributed around the country are yet to be revealed.
Mr Barber was relected as Police and Crime Commissioner in May, having been in the role since 2021.