Labour will put 10,000 more police on the streets to cut crime

Labour is today committing to provide funding to
the 43 forces across England and Wales to hire an extra 10,000 officers operating
in community policing roles. We will provide the framework to enable community
engagement and funding to ensure at least the equivalent of one more bobby per
electoral ward. 

It
will mean an extra police officer dedicated to community policing in each
electoral ward in England and Wales to tackle crime for the many not the few.

  • Labour
    will add 10,000 new police officers for England and Wales
  • Paid
    for by reversing cuts to Capital Gains Tax
  • Reported
    crime is rising under the Tories, up for almost every police force
  • Under
    Theresa May, the Tories have cut over 20,000 police officers since 2010
  • They
    have also broken their pledge to protect the police budget
  • Labour
    will protect current police levels and not cut the police budget

Almost every police force in the
country recorded an increase in crime over the last year, with worrying rises
in some of the most violent offences, including gun and knife crime and
homicide. Since 2010, under Theresa May, police numbers have been cut by
20,000. Labour will reverse cuts to Capital Gains Tax which will more than fund
these new officers in addition to guaranteeing current police levels.

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour
Party, will make the pledge on a visit to Southampton on Tuesday 2 May. He will
say:

“Cutting police numbers especially when
there is more crime to deal with is unacceptable. That’s why Labour will put
10,000 new police officers on our streets. The safety of our communities is
vital to us all.

“Community policing means uniformed
officers being visible, local and accessible. They engage with the public, have
a detailed local knowledge and build a network of relationships.

“That’s why Labour will reduce crime by
putting more police in the community to make sure policing works for the many
not the few.”

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, she will say:

“Theresa May
failed to protect communities as Home Secretary and has continued to fail them
as Prime Minister.

“Labour will
reverse the Tories’ tax breaks for the rich, providing new money that can be
used to put a bobby on the beat in every electoral ward in the country. 
We will reinforce confidence in our police forces, with a renewed focus on
working with communities, and for communities to fight crime.”