Decades of Tory police cuts have left Brits with only one neighbourhood officer for every 2,400 residents, Labour has claimed.
Boris Johnson vowed to put an extra 20,000 police on the streets by March 2023 in his first speech as Prime Minister.
Since, he has continually referred to the police uplift programme when discussing the Conservative's approach to tackling crime.
Yet an analysis of official figures show real-terms staffing levels for neighbourhood policing are substantially below what they were 10 years ago.
In 2012/13, there was one neighbourhood officer or PCSO for every 1,650 residents, and this dramatically reduced to one for every 2,400 residents by 2021/22.
In some areas such as Cambridgeshire and Surrey, there is only one neighbourhood officer or PCSO for over 5,000 people.
Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Police out on the beat and visible in local neighbourhoods are vital for stopping crime and keeping communities safe.
“Yet under the Tories, neighbourhood policing has been decimated - with fewer neighbourhood officers stretched to cover more and more people. The government is letting criminals off and letting communities down.
“Britain deserves better. The last Labour Government brought in neighbourhood policing - now we will restore it, starting with community police hubs and local prevention teams to tackle crime at its source.”
Since 2015, the total number of officers assigned to neighbourhood roles has fallen by over 7,000, dropping from 23,928 to 16,577.
Neighbourhood officers form the bedrock of the model of policing by consent.
Yet according to a recent Police Foundation report, it has failed to gain recognition as a policing specialism.
The last Labour government launched the Neighbourhood Policing Programme, tackling local crime and antisocial behaviour in communities through a £50m fund and the provision of 25,000 PCSOs.
Keir Starmer's Labour party promises to restore neighbourhood policing, setting up new Neighbourhood Police Hubs in all local areas backed by new neighbourhood prevention teams - routinely patrolling town centres and other areas to tackle the issues that blight local communities in their tracks.
