THAMES Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has welcomed the success of a funding boost to neighbourhood policing.
Today, Thursday, April 10, the Home Office confirmed that a bid for more than £6m in funding to recruit new officers had been successful.
It means that an additional 68 officers will be sought for Thames Valley Police’s Neighbourhood Policing team for 2025-2026.
“Having already more than doubled the number of neighbourhood police officers in Thames Valley, I am delighted that my bid for additional funding has been successful.
“This means that Thames Valley Police can now recruit an extra 68 neighbourhood police officers over the coming year.
“Neighbourhood policing is the keystone of my Police and Crime Plan and once these officers hit the streets there will be more than two and a half times as many neighbourhood police officers as when I launched my Crimefighters strategy back in 2023.”
He explained: “Neighbourhood crime and antisocial behaviour can have a significant impact, leaving people feeling unsafe in their own communities, and shouldn’t be tolerated.
“The increasing number of officers, in both neighbourhood policing and in other vital roles is having an impact.
“Crime is falling across Thames Valley, the police are making more arrests and more crimes are being solved.
“Expanding the recruitment of neighbourhood police officers is crucial to delivering our priorities to protect communities, and improve trust and confidence in policing, by making officers more visible and embedded to keep people safe and prevent as well as act on crimes that affect residents and businesses.”
