Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve the visibility of police officers in local communities.

It is for operationally independent Chief Constables to decide how to best deploy officers in their force area to effectively serve and engage their communities and to build their trust and confidence. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the force to account; making the police answerable to the communities they serve.

The 2018/9 police funding settlement will increase funding by up to £450m across the police system. This will enable an increase of up to £270m going directly to PCCs.