Making the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee Work: Learning from the Past, Delivering for the Public
Crest Advisory was commissioned by the Dawes Trust to explore how the 2019 Uplift of 20,000 officers impacted policing outcomes and understand key priorities for neighbourhood policing, including how additional resources should be allocated.
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Pulling insight from this research, we've written a report which makes recommendations to support the implementation of the Government's Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
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Why did we carry out this research?
Neighbourhood policing has been effectively deprioritised for nearly a decade. Between March 2016 and 2024, neighbourhood officer numbers decreased by 55% and PCSO numbers fell by 5,000. This decline has weakened the connection between police and communities, contributing to a 25% drop in public trust in policing between 2016 and 2022.
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The Government's Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee aims to rebuild this connection by increasing police visibility, tackling anti-social behaviour, and ensuring every community has named, contactable officers. However, context matters - forces now operate with constrained budgets, evolving crime patterns, and declining public confidence.
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Our research explores whether the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee can deliver on its promises and identifies what else needs to happen to make it work.
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What is the research?
Our comprehensive study examined three key areas:
Understanding public attitudes to neighbourhood policing
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What do communities actually want from their local police?
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How should neighbourhood officers spend their time?
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What would rebuild trust and confidence?
Exploring officers' experiences
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What barriers prevent effective neighbourhood policing?
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How might resources be better allocated?
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What do frontline officers see as priorities?
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Learning from the 2019 Police Uplift Programme​
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Did adding 20,000 officers improve policing outcomes?
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What lessons can inform the current uplift?
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How can forces avoid previous mistakes?
How did we conduct the research?
Our research consisted of multiple phases:
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Community focus groups across England and Wales to understand public expectations and experiences of neighbourhood policing
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Police officer focus groups with current neighbourhood team members to identify operational barriers and challenges
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Police officer interviews and focus groups with new and experienced officers to understand perceptions of the 2019 Police Uplift Programme
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Data analysis examining the impact of the 2019 Police Uplift Programme on investigation outcomes, response times, and case resolution rates
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Policy review assessing how the Guarantee framework aligns with public expectations and operational realities
Key findings
The public wants visibility and engagement. Physical police presence and direct community interaction were the top priorities, not just online communication or reactive response.
Internal barriers undermine delivery. Role confusion, frequent abstractions, inadequate resources, and lack of specialist training prevent neighbourhood teams from functioning effectively.
Previous uplifts haven't yet improved outcomes. The 2019 programme added officers but hasn't yet translated into better outcomes.
Strategic deployment matters. Simply adding numbers isn't enough - new officers must be placed strategically with proper training, resources, and protection from abstractions.
Our recommendations
We made eleven evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and police forces:
Recommendation 1: The Government must ensure that timeframes associated with embedding 13,000 additional officers, PCSOs and Special Constables are reasonable to maintain vetting standards
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Recommendation 2: The College of Policing and NPCC must work with forces to understand how training for additional neighbourhood police officers, PCSOs and Special Constables can be rolled out with minimal disruption to operational demand
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Recommendation 3: Best practice for recruiting neighbourhood officers, PCSOs and Special Constables should be developed by the College of Policing
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Recommendation 4: The Home Office should conduct a review into the barriers and enablers for retention in their neighbourhood policing teams and consider additional benefits for long-term service in neighbourhood policing roles
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Recommendation 5: The College of Policing should establish a long-term neighbourhood policing career pathway
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Recommendation 6: Neighbourhood policing strategies should be created in every police force area in collaboration with the local Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
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Recommendation 7: Forces should create an operational plan which sets out how their neighbourhood policing teams will deliver against their strategies
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Recommendation 8: The Home Office should publish guidance on the new national standards for abstractions as soon as possible
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Recommendation 9: The College of Policing should audit communication tools and platforms used by the police and share best practice to support forces
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Recommendation 10: Forces should create neighbourhood policing communication strategies
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Recommendation 11: Forces should create and trial tools to ensure the public see improvements in their local areas
Get the full report
About this report
​This research was commissioned by the Dawes Trust in 2024, with additional work commissioned in January 2025 following the Government's announcement of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. The report combines findings from both phases to provide comprehensive guidance for implementation.
For questions about this research, to discuss findings or the implications for your force or area, contact us at contact@crestadvisory.com