I very much welcome Prime Minister’s announcement today on the Government’s Plan for Change for policing.

His renewed focus on local policing including community policing and the promise of money to fund an expansion of police numbers is very positive.

I am committed to reinvigorating local policing across urban and rural Bedfordshire. In my Police and Crime Plan I set out my plans which include changing the culture of local policing as much increasing the numbers of police officers and PCSOs. Local policing teams are part of much wider police service that protects and serves our communities in many different but related ways. We must never think that local policing is the entirety of the police that make our communities safer, important as they are.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee that the government is introducing very much reflects my mission for local policing.

I wish to deepen the connection between local policing and the communities they serve. This means having named officers for every area of the county and advisory panels to support and advice the local police on what is required in the local communities, towns and villages.

It is about police who know their communities and the communities knowing them. It is about local policing and in particular community police teams problem solving, working in partnership with community groups, businesses and local councils. It is about intelligence gathering and implementing the law.

It is about the police being more visible in local communities especially town centres. Today I opened a new police hub in Bedford Town Centre through partnership working with Bedford Borough Council.

I look forward to Bedfordshire receiving our share of the £100m being allocated to kick start a renewal of local policing and to more new funding over the next five years. Meanwhile I will be asking the Chief Constable to reflect the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee when he allocates police resources across the county.