Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce crime in Hampshire.

This Government is committed to cutting crime, keeping our streets safe, and restoring confidence in the criminal justice system. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are responsible for policing in their area and are focused on the local priorities for policing, to help cut crime.

The Government is funding a range of initiatives in Hampshire to reduce crime. This includes the Safer Streets Fund, the Government’s flagship crime prevention programme, where Hampshire has received over £4 million of investment. Hampshire has received almost £1.5 million for 2024/2025 to increase uniformed police hotspot response, and since 2019 the Home Office has invested over £5.1m to develop and run the Hampshire Violence Reduction Unit.

These initiatives are in addition to the investment we have made available to increase officer numbers. Hampshire and Isle of Wight recruited 582 additional uplift officers against a total three-year allocation of 518 officers. As at 30 September 2023, there were 3,422 police officers in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, a total growth of 631 additional officers against the baseline (2,791) at the start of the Police Uplift Programme.

Hampshire Police’s funding will be up to 464.2 million in 2024/25, an increase of up to 29.2 million when compared to 2023/24.