HC Deb 20 October 2003 vol 411 cc419-20W
Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces operate a system of named local police officers. [131657]

Ms Blears

The Home Office does not have information centrally on those police forces that operate a system of named local police officers. Community policing is emphasised to different degrees by different police forces.

Citizen focused policing prioritises the need to access, understand and engage with communities by ensuring that the citizen perspective is embedded within their decision making, policies, practices and service delivery, in order to improve police effectiveness. We want to see all police forces putting more effort into actively engaging with their local communities. The Community beat officer is a vital link between the police service as a whole and the local community.