Cambridgeshire to benefit from 30 new neighbourhood police officers by April 2026

Every neighbourhood in Cambridgeshire will have named contactable officers from July as the government kickstarts its plan to restore neighbourhood policing.

The region will also receive seven additional neighbourhood police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) within the next 12 months to combat the highest-priority issues for local residents.

In recent years, visible policing has declined dramatically, with the number of people who regularly see officers patrolling their area halving in the past decade.

This has contributed to rising antisocial behaviour and crime in town centres, eroding public confidence and leaving communities feeling unsafe and forgotten.

From July, communities across the country will see policing strengthened with three key improvements as part of the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee:

- Named officers for every neighbourhood to which residents can turn, with all enquiries guaranteed a response within 72 hours.

- A dedicated antisocial behaviour leader in each force working with residents and businesses to develop tailored action plans

- Regular patrols in town centres during peak times to increase police visibility where it's needed most

This forms part of the 3,000 additional staff in neighbourhood roles nationwide next year, funded by the government's £200 million investment

Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary, said: “The heartbeat of our Great British policing tradition is seeing bobbies on the beat but for too long, communities have been feeling abandoned as crime soars. Too many communities no longer feel safe because they do not have local officers to turn to as yobs and street criminals run amok in their towns and villages.

"It should not matter where you live – everyone deserves local, visible policing they can trust, and with our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we will end this postcode lottery and restore policing to our communities."

Nick Dean, Chief Constable, said: “Neighbourhood policing is an essential part of modern policing and critical in our work to improve trust and confidence in policing.

“We are committed to further investing in this area to further strengthen our ability to engage with communities, deal with the issues important to them and communicate back on the action we have taken.”

By the end of parliament, Cambridgeshire will see its share of the 13,000 additional neighbourhood officers that will be deployed across England and Wales by 2029. Officers will also be equipped with new powers through the Crime and Policing Bill to tackle street crime and antisocial behaviour more effectively.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, alongside Labour's Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayoral candidate Anna Smith, visited a shop on Huntingdon High Street which has been affected by anti-social behaviour.

The Prime Minister and Home Secretary heard about the impact of thefts on the business and spoke to representatives to hear about how small businesses in Huntingdon are working together to tackle anti-social behaviour.

This investment marks the beginning of the government's commitment to safer communities through its Plan for Change and Safer Streets mission, restoring confidence in local policing and making Cambridgeshire a safer place to live and thrive.