Reform UK Unveils S.A.F.E. Plan to Put 30,000 More Police Officers on Britain’s Streets
Reform UK has unveiled a major new policing and crime strategy aimed at increasing police numbers, tackling antisocial behaviour and restoring what the party describes as equal enforcement of the law across Britain.
Our new S.A.F.E. plan includes proposals to recruit 30,000 additional police officers, expand stop-and-search powers in crime hotspots, guarantee visible foot patrols in areas suffering from antisocial behaviour and create thousands of additional prison places.
The proposals were launched by Reform UK policing and crime adviser Colin Sutton, the former senior detective who led investigations which brought serial killer Levi Bellfield and serial rapist Delroy Grant to justice.
Sutton said Reform’s approach would be based on a straightforward principle:
“Every crime matters. Every indignity matters.”
30,000 More Police Officers
At the centre of this plan is a commitment to put 30,000 additional police officers onto Britain’s streets.
The party says the expansion would be accompanied by greater use of stop-and-search in areas experiencing high levels of crime, alongside guaranteed foot patrols in communities affected by persistent antisocial behaviour.
Other measures proposed include a ban on balaclavas and action against illegal e-bikes, which have increasingly featured in concerns surrounding theft and street crime.
Sutton said the objective was to prioritise public safety through increased police numbers and stronger enforcement.
Tougher Action Against Repeat Offenders
Reform’s proposals also extend beyond policing.
The party wants to restore short prison sentences, establish fast-track courts for repeat offenders and create an additional 12,000 prison places.
The plan places particular emphasis on the everyday crimes and antisocial behaviour that can have a major impact on local communities.
Sutton highlighted the experience of shopkeepers repeatedly reporting theft, arguing that businesses want offenders caught and punished rather than seeing the same individuals continually return.
It is an approach designed to place greater emphasis on consequences for repeat offending as well as tackling more serious violent crime.
Reform Proposes Major Changes to Police Training
Reform has also promised significant changes to the way policing is organised and officers are trained.
The party would abolish the College of Policing and remove diversity, equality and inclusion modules from police training.
Race action plans would also be prohibited, while structures established specifically to pursue equality of outcome would be removed. Reform says its alternative would be based upon the principle of equal enforcement of the law.
Sutton said:
“We will doggedly pursue equal enforcement.”
The party describes these measures as part of its commitment to ending what it calls “two-tier policing”.
Prevent Would Be Overhauled
Reform is also proposing changes to the Government’s Prevent counter-terrorism programme.
Under its plan, Prevent would be refocused towards Islamist terrorism, with home searches required where an individual receives referrals from three separate corroborating authorities.
It forms part of a wider package that is intended to make public protection and enforcement the central priorities of policing.
A Focus on the Crimes Communities Experience Every Day
One of the clearest themes running throughout the S.A.F.E. plan is an emphasis on crimes that may not always generate national headlines but have a significant effect on how safe people feel where they live.
Shoplifting, street robbery, antisocial behaviour and repeat offending can leave residents and businesses feeling that relatively minor offences are simply being tolerated.
The answer to this is greater police visibility, more officers, stronger enforcement and meaningful consequences for repeat offenders.
Sutton summed up the party’s message to law-abiding members of the public with the words:
“No more having to watch your back.”
With crime and community safety continuing to be major concerns in towns and cities across the country, Reform UK’s S.A.F.E. plan sets out a markedly tougher approach to policing, sentencing and enforcement.
The objective is simple: more police on the streets, stronger action against offenders and a policing system focused first and foremost on protecting the public.