Steve condemns Tories’ broken policing promise
Steve Reed, MP for Croydon North, has accused the Government of breaking its promise to keep Croydon safe after the 2011 riots.
During a Commons debate about policing cuts, Steve raised the Prime Minister’s promise in 2011 to keep the borough safe.
But figures uncovered by Mr Reed show that Croydon now has fewer frontline police officers than in 2010 when David Cameron took office.
Meanwhile every police station in Croydon North has closed, and the number of neighbourhood police officers (PCSOs) has been slashed by three-quarters.
In 2010 there were 173 PCSOs in the borough, compared to just 41 in 2015. PCSOs were introduced by the last Labour government to keep residents safe through high visibility patrols.
Speaking in the debate, Steve Reed said:
Croydon was hit very hard by the riots in 2011, and the PM came down days afterwards and promised to keep the area safe.
Since then, the Government have allowed every single police station in Croydon North to close down and as of today we still have fewer police on the streets than in 2010, when these people came into government. Is that not yet more Tory broken promises?
Steven Reed is Labour MP for Croydon North and Shadow Minister for Children and Families. In 2018 his private member’s bill on reducing violent mental health restraint became law. In June 2019 he launched Labour’s civil society strategy outlining radical plans to empower citizens and communities.
Steve chairs the Cooperative Councils Innovation Network, co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London, was Leader of Lambeth Council 2006-12 where he led the council’s children’s services to become best-rated in the country and pioneered the public-health approach to tackling violent youth crime. He worked in publishing for 16 years and was an elected trade union branch secretary.