(Home Office) Prime Minister and Home Secretary meet Chief Constables to hail new era of neighbourhood policing

The Prime Minister and Home Secretary met with Chief Constables at Downing Street today to mark a "new era" of neighbourhood-based policing, established in response to the public's call for a service that is visible, accountable and responds to their needs.

The meeting marked the first anniversary of Neighbourhood Policing Teams being rolled out to every city, town and village in the country. Dedicated Neighbourhood Policing teams, of which there are now 3,600, continue to make a real difference to communities up and down the country.

The meeting was also used to look ahead and discuss the next stage of the Government's ambitious police reform programme, including the delivery of local Policing Pledges introduced last year as a clear commitment from the police to the public on the standards and level of service people can expect from their local police team - easier to contact, answering calls and enquiries within a certain time, and spending more time on the beat.

Both Neighbourhood Policing Teams and the Policing Pledge are part of a programme that in the last 12 months has seen the Government cut red tape, scrap all but one single national target for the police, launch online crime maps so people can see what is happening to crime in their area and what is being done about it and introduce tough new community punishments, with offenders wearing uniforms and doing hard work in the community with local people having the chance to vote on what they should do as part of the Justice Seen, Justice Done campaign.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:

"Every area of the country now has its own Neighbourhood Police team, more than 3,600 in total. This is a major achievement, the result of a great deal of hard work and commitment on the part of the police service, police authorities and Government.

"Having your own Neighbourhood Police team, dedicated to tackling the issues that really matter to you, is making a real difference to communities up and down the country. And the commitment which all forces have shown, signing up to the Policing Pledge, seals this new deal between the police and the public.

"I thank all those involved for their hard work and dedication to making the vision a reality. We will continue to do what is necessary to ensure the public feel safer in their homes and on the streets - while at the same time putting local citizens at the heart of everything we do."

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

"Every day I hear how Neighbourhood Policing is transforming the face of communities and that is brought home to me whenever I travel around the country.

"The public is our strongest weapon in tackling crime and the Policing Pledge is a clear deal about what they can expect from the police. I passionately believe that building confidence by giving you more local crime information, listening to your concerns and making your priorities our priorities we will drive up the quality of policing for communities everywhere.

"I have a single-minded focus on building public confidence in policing - and that means that the police should be answering to the public, not the government. I have listened to frontline police officers and that is why we have already invested £80m in 30,000 mobile data devices for the police, abolished all but one government target for the police on public confidence and axed the lengthy stop and account form for all forces freeing up 690,000 hours of police time over the next year."

President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Sir Ken Jones, said:

"Back in 2001 ACPO developed and led the modernisation and implementation of local neighbourhood policing. This is a 21st century venture where local police teams, fully supported by modern forces and up to date technologies, stand side by side with local people in making all neighbourhoods safer and more secure.

The Pledge is an important milestone for us in setting out a framework for local people and their police teams to work together to improve neighbourhoods. It forms part of a wider programme which aims to cut bureaucracy and restore common sense to everyday policing."