Oral Answers to Questions

Matt Western Excerpts

Monday 2nd June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Peter Swallow (Bracknell) (Lab)]

2. What recent progress her Department has made on improving neighbourhood policing in Bracknell Forest.

[Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington) (Lab)]

7. What recent progress her Department has made on improving neighbourhood policing.

[Jen Craft (Thurrock) (Lab)]

13. What recent progress her Department has made on improving neighbourhood policing.

--- Later in debate ---

[Yvette Cooper]

My hon. Friend is exactly right to raise that serious crime. Honest, hard-working tradespeople in communities across the country are being robbed of their livelihoods as a result of this kind of crime. That is why we are working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council on how we target the serious and organised crime that is often behind such equipment and tool theft, and putting neighbourhood police back on the streets in communities, so they can both work on prevention and go after the criminals responsible.

[Matt Western]

Under the previous Government, the number of PCSOs more than halved in Warwickshire. Indeed, in summer 2023, local teachers were forced to police a park in Warwick and Leamington after a knife gang terrorised pupils, stealing their bikes. More widely, constituents are fed up with crime and antisocial behaviour; 50% say that they have been personally impacted by crime in the past five years. Will the Home Secretary outline how the Government will address these crimes and make our streets safer for everyone?

[Yvette Cooper]

My hon. Friend is right to raise the importance of PCSOs as well as police officers in neighbourhood teams working to prevent crime. He is also right to raise concerns. Over the last two years of the previous Government, both street theft and shoplifting increased by more than 60%, at the same time as neighbourhood police were cut. We are putting the bobbies back on the beat.