Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on tackling antisocial behaviour in (a) Beckenham and Penge constituency and (b) across England and Wales.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change details our commitment to reduce ASB, including that every police force in England and Wales will have a dedicated lead officer by the end of July, who will work with communities to develop a local ASB action plan.

We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers are out patrolling in our town centres and communities to make the streets safer. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support this commitment. The Metropolitan Police has been allocated £45,639,456 and will deliver an increase of 420 police officers and 50 PCSOs by 31 March 2026.

The Home Office is also providing £66.3 million funding in 2025-26 to forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence, and anti-social behaviour. The Metropolitan Police will receive £8,139,508 of this funding.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening the powers available to the police and other relevant agencies to tackle ASB, including introducing new Respect Orders to tackle persistent adult ASB offenders, and extending the maximum exclusion period for dispersal directions from 48 to 72 hours. Other measures in the Bill include enhancing the powers for the police to seize nuisance off-road bikes, and other vehicles which are being used in an anti-social manner, without having to first give a warning to the offender.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on improving neighbourhood policing (a) in Beckenham and Penge constituency and (b) elsewhere in England and Wales.

Answered by Diana Johnson - 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. On 10 April, the Prime Minister and Home Secretary outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including that from month, every community will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing issues facing their communities.

We have made £200 million available to police forces in 2025/26 to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel. This major investment supports the commitment to make the country’s streets safer and reflects both the scale of the challenges that many forces face and the Government’s determination to address them.

The Metropolitan Police has been allocated £45,639,456 from the £200 million fund in 2025/26. Based on this funding allocation, the projected growth for neighbourhood officers in the Metropolitan Police in 2025/26 will be 420 (FTE) police officers and 50 (FTE) Police Community Support Officers.