Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help increase levels of (a) recruitment and (b) retention of neighbourhood police officers in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of the British policing model. Every community deserves visible, pro-active and accessible neighbourhood policing with officers tackling the issues that matter to them.
We have made £200 million available in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this parliament, including up to 3,000 additional neighbourhood officers by the end of March 2026.
Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE neighbourhood police officers in FY 2025/26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE neighbourhood policing officers.
The Government continues to prioritise boosting visible policing and improving trust and confidence in the police. That is why, for Year 2 of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant in FY 2026/27, £363 million has been ringfenced to incentivise forces to grow their neighbourhood policing teams by a further 1,750 personnel by 31 March 2027. Surrey Police will be expected to deliver their share of that national target. Their target figure will be confirmed in due course.
Retention of experienced officers is important to neighbourhood policing. This is why we are investing in dedicated learning and development standards, bolstering its recognition as a distinct specialism. We are funding the College of Policing to design and roll out the Neighbourhood Policing Programme – Career Pathway. Under the training, neighbourhood officers, PCSOs, line management and senior leaders will learn vital skills such as problem solving, community engagement and tackling anti-social behaviour.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure in-person access to police services in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Decisions regarding police resourcing and the police estate, including in-person access points such as front counters, are a matter for Chief Constables and elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents). They are best placed to decide based on local need, experience, and budgets.‑elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents). They are best placed to decide based on local need, experience, and budgets.
As part of this Government’s Safer Streets Mission, we are restoring neighbourhood policing, with nearly 2,400 additional neighbourhood officers in post last September. We are also ensuring that every community has named, contactable, officers dedicated to tackling the issues facing their communities, strengthening the connections between the police and the local communities they serve.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure neighbourhood policing teams have sufficient resources to carry out preventative work to deter knife carrying in Surrey.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March 2020 to 465 offences in year ending September 2025).
Neighbourhood policing plays a vital role in our mission to halve knife crime by helping to prevent violence to keep communities safe. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel in neighbourhood roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.
As at 31 March 2025, Surrey Police had 191 full-time equivalent (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) officers, comprising 128 FTE police officers and 64 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE NHP police officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE Neighbourhood Policing officers out of a delivery plan target of 25 FTE.
Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.
This strengthened, visible neighbourhood presence supports earlier intervention, builds community confidence, and helps reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence.
The Serious Violence Duty also plays an important role in preventing knife crime in Surrey. It brings key local partners together, including policing, health, education and local authorities, to prevent and reduce serious violence in a joined up, evidence-led way. The Home Office has made £546,000 available to Surrey in 2025/26 to deliver the Duty, funding a wide range of interventions that support Surrey Police in responding to knife crime among under 18s, including support for Op Shield and Surrey’s Primary Intervention Programme for youth related serious violence.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of knife-enabled crime in Surrey Police’s force area over the last five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March 2020 to 465 offences in year ending September 2025).
Neighbourhood policing plays a vital role in our mission to halve knife crime by helping to prevent violence to keep communities safe. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel in neighbourhood roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.
As at 31 March 2025, Surrey Police had 191 full-time equivalent (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) officers, comprising 128 FTE police officers and 64 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE NHP police officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE Neighbourhood Policing officers out of a delivery plan target of 25 FTE.
Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.
This strengthened, visible neighbourhood presence supports earlier intervention, builds community confidence, and helps reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence.
The Serious Violence Duty also plays an important role in preventing knife crime in Surrey. It brings key local partners together, including policing, health, education and local authorities, to prevent and reduce serious violence in a joined up, evidence-led way. The Home Office has made £546,000 available to Surrey in 2025/26 to deliver the Duty, funding a wide range of interventions that support Surrey Police in responding to knife crime among under 18s, including support for Op Shield and Surrey’s Primary Intervention Programme for youth related serious violence.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional operational support has been provided to Surrey Police to respond to knife crime incidents involving under-18s.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March 2020 to 465 offences in year ending September 2025).
Neighbourhood policing plays a vital role in our mission to halve knife crime by helping to prevent violence to keep communities safe. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel in neighbourhood roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.
As at 31 March 2025, Surrey Police had 191 full-time equivalent (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) officers, comprising 128 FTE police officers and 64 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE NHP police officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE Neighbourhood Policing officers out of a delivery plan target of 25 FTE.
Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.
This strengthened, visible neighbourhood presence supports earlier intervention, builds community confidence, and helps reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence.
The Serious Violence Duty also plays an important role in preventing knife crime in Surrey. It brings key local partners together, including policing, health, education and local authorities, to prevent and reduce serious violence in a joined up, evidence-led way. The Home Office has made £546,000 available to Surrey in 2025/26 to deliver the Duty, funding a wide range of interventions that support Surrey Police in responding to knife crime among under 18s, including support for Op Shield and Surrey’s Primary Intervention Programme for youth related serious violence.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposals to reduce larger policing bodies on (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government published its Police Reform White Paper on 26 January 2026. It set out an ambitious package of reform, including an ambition to significantly reduce the number of police forces across England and Wales.
We will shortly launch an Independent Review of Police Force Structures, which will make recommendations on the optimum configuration of fewer, larger forces. It will consider a wide range of evidence and engage with policing and community stakeholders in reaching its recommendations, which are due to be reported by the Summer.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the rollout of facial recognition technology on levels of crime in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
No assessment has been made for the impact of the rollout of facial recognition technology on crime levels specifically within Surrey Heath constituency.
However, a national evaluation is in progress to understand the impact of police use of facial recognition in the prevention and investigation of crime and the impacts on public trust and confidence. Once complete, its findings and a final report associated with it are intended for future publication.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how inaccuracies in vehicle databases are accounted for when ANPR data is used in policing decisions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
ANPR is a valuable tool to help the police tackle crime and keep the road safe. We keep the effectiveness of police and law enforcement use of ANPR under regular review, to ensure it remains a robust tool for identifying vehicles of interest to the police and drivers who break the law. Reads in the National ANPR Service are usually accompanied by a close-up image of the number plate (plate patch) and an overview image of the vehicle to enable users to corroborate the data.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the reliability of ANPR data in (a) preventing and (b) detecting (i) road traffic and (ii) wider criminal offences.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
ANPR is a valuable tool to help the police tackle crime and keep the road safe. We keep the effectiveness of police and law enforcement use of ANPR under regular review, to ensure it remains a robust tool for identifying vehicles of interest to the police and drivers who break the law. Reads in the National ANPR Service are usually accompanied by a close-up image of the number plate (plate patch) and an overview image of the vehicle to enable users to corroborate the data.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is in place to ensure that reports of violence by children towards parents or carers lead to appropriate safeguarding and support in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Prevention and early intervention with children and young people are fundamental to the government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade – including improving the response to child to parent or caregiver abuse.
‘The Domestic Abuse Act 2021: statutory guidance’ provides advice for frontline professionals and families to identify child to parent and caregiver abuse. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023’ provides guidance on the multi-agency response to support and safeguard children, including those using harm.
Since 2023 the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner has received Home Office funding to support their Steps to Change Hub via the Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund. Funding supports delivery of Young People Using Violence and Abuse, a youth‑focused programme offering one‑to‑one support for young people who use violence or abusive behaviour towards family members, carers, siblings, or intimate partners.