By Ben Kerrigan-
Boris Johnson has promised the recruitment of 20,000 new police officers in England and Wales within weeks.
His announcement comes in the wake of national wide losses of over 20,000 officers between September 2009 and September 2017. The new prime minister said he wanted the recruitment presided by a new national policing board to be completed over the next three years. Johnson said some forces are concerned they don’t have enough training instructors and police stations to support a rapid expansion.
Johnson, whose recent Conservative leadership victory has been met with low expectations and heavy criticism had made the pledge during the Conservative leadership race, and said the recruitment drive will begin in September, with the aim of having all the additional officers in place within three years. In a bid to effectively tackle the surge in knife crime, Mr Johnson pledged to give police greater stop-and-search powers, which were reduced by Theresa May when she was home secretary in 2014.
The new PM says the government will urgently review seven current pilot schemes, which make it simpler for officers to use the powers, with the goal of extending stop and search to police forces across the Uk. The plan is good in theory in a much needed attempt to clamp down on knife crime. If Johnson sticks to his plan, it would be a good start to his leadership of a divided country.
SAFER
Johnson who is committed to the highly shared values of overall safety said: “As I said on the steps of Downing Street this week, my job as Prime Minister is to make our streets safer.
“People want to see more officers in their neighbourhoods, protecting the public and cutting crime.
“I promised 20,000 extra officers and that recruitment will now start in earnest.” Johnson, who has appointed Priti Pratel with the job said a new national policing board will be established to oversee the work, with the Home Office given responsibility for hitting the target.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Officers up and down the country put themselves in danger every day to keep us safe, they deserve our support.
“The rise we’ve seen in serious violence is deeply worrying. An additional 20,000 officers sends a clear message that we are committed to giving police the resources they need to tackle the scourge of crime.
“This is the start of a new relationship between the Government and the police working even more closely together to protect the public.” Mr.Johnson’s government also want to review the pilot scheme that makes it simpler for officers to use stop and search powers on anyone suspected of carrying a weapon. Mr Johnson is a strong supporter of the tactic and is keen to see the pilot – which is currently in operation in seven forces – being rolled out across the country.
Mr Johnson said: “People want to see more officers in their neighbourhoods, protecting the public and cutting crime.” Downing Street are determined to begin the recruitment campaign in September, with forces held to account for meeting the target by a new board, bringing together police leaders and led by Home Secretary Priti Patel. Ms Patel said the rise in serious violence was “deeply worrying” and recruiting additional officers “sends a clear message that we are committed to giving police the resources they need”.
“This is the start of a new relationship between the government and the police working even more closely together to protect the public,” she added.