More bobbies on the beat expected to join police force by the end of the year

More officers are expected to join Thames Valley Police’s (TVP) neighbourhood policing teams by the ‘end of the year’.

The announcement comes as part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee featured in the Government’s Plan for Change, which looks to return visible policing to communities, following ‘years of decline’.

The number of people who regularly see the police patrolling in their local area has ‘halved in the past decade’, while shoplifting has risen to ‘record levels’ across the country.

The latest statistics show there have been 19,397 anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents in the Thames Valley.

To ensure TVP ‘gets the support it needs to keep its streets safe’, 68 more officers are set to join the neighbourhood policing teams.

This means that up to 3,000 more officers and PCSOs will be involved in neighbourhood policing across all police forces in England and Wales.

Work to respond to neighbourhood queries within 72 hours is also undertaken by TVP.

The force also holds public meetings to give businesses and residents a voice on the issues they face.

TVP has had named and contactable neighbourhood officers in operation for ‘many years’. Residents can find out who their named officer is on the TVP website or on local Facebook pages, with officers tackling ASB and retail crime.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Mike Loebenberg, TVP lead for local policing, said: “We welcome the government’s commitment to the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which complements Thames Valley’s mission in protecting our communities.

“Our neighbourhood policing teams are focused on tackling the crime and anti-social behaviour issues of most importance to their local residents and businesses, using the crime data and local intelligence available to them as they patrol their areas.

“The guarantee allows us to enhance this work and formalises our commitment to our communities.

“We will continue to draw on the expertise of our named and contactable officers, who have become a valued point of contact locally, enabling them to address the root causes of crime and bringing them much closer to the communities they serve.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Communities are sick of the anti-social behaviour and shop theft blighting their town centres.

“There are too many neighbourhoods across the country who simply do not feel safe.

“A connection between the police and public has been lost for too long but restoring visible officers to our streets and giving communities a proper named contact will rebuild those bonds with the communities they serve.

“The work forces have done so far under this government’s Plan for Change to restore trusted neighbourhood policing is already making a clear difference.