Northumberland Labour says safer streets with more neighbourhood policing will make our towns and villages much nicer places to live.

Councillor Lynne Grimshaw said: “In Northumberland between March 2015 and March 2022 there has been a 43 per cent reduction in neighbourhood policing at a time when people consistently say they’d feel safer if they saw more ‘bobbies on the beat’.

“I am not criticising the police we have; they are doing an amazing job with far fewer resources. But we need to do better and give the police the resources they need to do the job.

“We know that many people’s lives are made a misery by vandalism, noisy neighbours and anti social behaviour.

“Labour wants to create new, and enhance existing, neighbourhood police hubs made up of police, community support workers, youth workers and local authority staff.

“These teams would be visible on patrols preventing crime before it happens and working with communities to address local problems. They would pursue regular perpetrators of anti-social behaviour or low-level crime, as well as dealing with visible signs of disorder such as broken windows, graffiti, fly-tipping or drug dealing. They would also support victims of anti-social behaviour.

“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.”