Neighbourhood policing boost: funding for extra police officers

15 April 2025

It has been allocated just under £2 million in the first year’s funding round and this will fund 32 police officers and 20 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).

On Thursday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced details of funding for 2025 to 2026 as the start of a four-year programme which will see 13,000 extra police officers, PCSOs and Specials brought into neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.

North Yorkshire Police will receive £1,946,579.

“Effective neighbourhood policing is the cornerstone of the police service,” says Rob Bowles, chair of North Yorkshire Police Federation.

“Sadly, as the Federation warned, when the austerity measures were first implemented from 2010, cuts really did have consequences for policing in as much as many communities completely lost a visible policing presence.

“As demand soared and officer numbers plummeted, we lost our links into those communities, the reassurance that provided and the intelligence that we were able to gather through the relationships we built.

Funding

“This new funding is much needed, but must be sustained. It must also be accompanied by a longer-term investment in policing and a complete overhaul of the police pay review process.

“We are in the midst of an officer retention crisis which is crippling forces across the country. One of the key reasons officers are leaving is the fact that they don’t feel their pay reflects either the challenges or dangers of their role.

“The Government must address this now as a matter of urgency or as fast as we bring in new officers we will be losing those we have. The current pay review board is no longer fit for purpose and a new and independent system is needed if officers are to feel they are being treated fairly.”

As part of the Government’s plans under the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, it wants every neighbourhood in England and Wales to have dedicated teams spending their time on the beat, with guaranteed police patrols in town centres and other hotspot areas at peak times such as Friday and Saturday nights.

Communities

Communities will have named, contactable officers to tackle the issues facing their communities. There will also be a dedicated anti-social behaviour lead in every force, working with residents and businesses to develop tailored action plans.

In announcing the funding, Ms Cooper said: “The heartbeat of our Great British policing tradition is seeing bobbies on the beat, but for too long, too many communities have been feeling abandoned as crime soared and neighbourhood police disappeared, even when local crimes like shop theft, street theft or blatant drug dealing rose sharply.

“That’s why this Government is determined to get police back on the beat and into our town centres.

“It should not matter where you live – everyone deserves local, visible policing they can trust, and with our Plan for Change and Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we will tackle this postcode lottery and restore policing to our communities.”