We're bringing back neighbourhood policing

When I became the Member of Parliament for our area just over a year ago, I knew how important it was to rebuild trust in politics. For me, one of the clearest places to start is anti-social behaviour.

For over a decade, people in our area heard promise after promise from politicians in Westminster, on everything from ‘levelling up’ to the NHS, that were never fulfilled. Hearing those empty words while waiting lists skyrocketed and wages stalled, it is no wonder so many people lost faith in politics.

People heard tough talk on crime for years, but under the Conservative Government, the number of PCSOs was reduced by half, while Special Constable numbers were cut by two-thirds, fundamentally eroding the link between police forces and the communities they serve.

Shoplifting and mugging became all too common, while the number of people who said they never saw a bobby on the beat doubled between 2010 and 2024.

I believe we can bring trust back into politics by actually delivering for people and communities, including by tackling the blight of anti-social behaviour.

That is why I’m running my campaign against anti-social behaviour, and have launched an online survey (which can be found on my social media) where local people can tell me about their experiences of crime in our community, and suggest ways we can tackle it.

I’m using the responses to inform my conversations with West Yorkshire Police, Wakefield Council, and the Government so that local people’s voices are at the centre of our work to take back control of our high streets.

I’ve already heard from elderly people nervous about heading into the town centre, and young parents concerned about their children’s safety when they play out, but I want to hear from more people in our community.

The Labour Government takes anti-social behaviour as seriously as people in our area do. People have heard promises on anti-social behaviour before, so I am glad that we are taking hard and fast action to actually stamp it out.

We have already delivered on our pledge to give every area named, contactable officers and guaranteed police patrols through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, and injected an initial £200m to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional officers and PCSOs by the end of the Parliament - an increase of 50%.

These officers will be given the powers they actually need to keep our communities safe through the Crime and Policing Bill. New Respect Orders will help them clamp down on persistent antisocial offenders and ban them from the town centre, while the Government will remove the need for a warrant to search properties where stolen items have been electronically located.

The Government is also acting to crack down on shoplifting, which raises prices, damages small businesses, and makes going to the shops that little bit worse. The rules that give effective immunity for shoplifting under £200 will be scrapped, while assaulting a retail worker will be made a specific offence.

Together, we will tackle anti-social behaviour. These aren't false promises, but real, concrete actions that local people can believe in.