The Rt. Hon Chris Philp, Shadow Home Secretary and former Policing Minister joined FedConnect host Ian Collins for his perspective on policing for 2025 and onwards along with a Q&A session.

“I am a big supporter of the police and believe in law and order and the work the police do. I would like to do everything I can to support the police in delivering their mission,” he stated.

When quizzed on what he would tell the new Government, Mr Philp replied: “First of all, reinforce the dedication and sacrifice of our 150,000 frontline police officers who work often in extremely hard circumstances with extraordinary dedication. Police officers, every morning when they put on their uniform and leave home, face risks that very few other professions do.”

Mr Philp continued by sharing how he sat down with the current Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson, during the transition to deliver a handover.

“I emphasised the need to try and get as much money as possible to the frontline,” he said.

“This year there is £922m extra in comparison to last year and I hope the new Government can match that new increase for the next financial year.”

He also outlined how he wants to see the new Government commit to maintaining police officer numbers and well as “trying to strip away thing things that waste police time”, such as handling a high number of mental health callouts.

Mr Philp specified he would like to see all forces roll out the Right Care, Right Person operational model, changing the way the emergency services respond to calls involving concerns about mental health. It is in the process of being rolled out across the UK as part of ongoing work between police forces, health providers and Government.

Support for our #SimplifyDG6 campaign was also shown, which seeks to facilitate the free flow of personal data between the police and the CPS at the pre-charge stage, freeing up thousands of hours. This would be possible if the Data Protection Act were to be amended.

“I hope the Government tries to strip away some of that bureaucracy,” he commented.

When asked for his thoughts by Ian Collins on the NX121 case, Mr Philp responded: “The way he was treated was appalling. He was doing his job in difficult circumstances.”

Yesterday, during a speech to the NPCC, Mr Philp proposed that where a police officer uses force, in line with their training, or in line with policing procedures, there should be a defence against both misconduct proceedings and criminal proceedings.

“We need the police to use their powers with confidence in order to protect the public and catch criminals,” he added. “If police officers are holding back or feeling nervous about using those powers, as I believe they are now because of the IOPC overreach, that does not serve the public interest.”

When queried about if he regrets the action taken by the previous Conservative government on the Winsor Review and austerity measures, resulting in a pay cut for rank-and-file police officers, along with changes to pensions, he stated the country inherited in 2010 was “bankrupt” and cited the 7 per cent pay increase along with increased contributions made by the Government into the police pension pot.

He said he is committed to addressing the erosion of pay and ensuring officer receive the compensation for the challenges and dangers faced daily.

Referencing the Police Remuneration Review Body, he said: “I would want to make sure they fully account for the unique nature of policing and apply a premium for that and they account for inflation, including inflation over time, when they set that police pay recommendation.”

He also supported the Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley’s calls for higher London weighting payments for officers.

“I hugely enjoyed working with police forces up and down the country with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, Police Federation and the Superintendents’ Association as Policing Minister and I look forward to continuing that work,” he concluded.