This month the headlines have once again been dominated by issues within the Metropolitan Police, with the shocking news that more than 1,500 police officers were accused of violence against women and girls in a six-month period, and the sentencing of Wayne Couzens for indecent exposure offences which pre-dated the horrific murder of Sarah Everard.
The Metropolitan Police have a great deal to do to rebuild trust and confidence in our communities. Crucial to this is the question of resourcing.
At the same time, in my constituency of Dulwich and West Norwood, 2023 began with a tragic increase in serious violence, including a life-changing stabbing, the murder of a young constituent on Peckham Rye and a series of violent robberies in Dulwich and Herne Hill.
One of the most destructive policy decisions of the Conservative and Liberal Democrats since 2010 has been the huge cuts to the number of Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers and police support staff.
In the decade following 2010 police funding was cut by £1 billion by central government and more than 20,000 police officers were lost across England and Wales, in addition to a similar number of support staff.
There is some excellent work happening in some areas of my constituency to rebuild trust between the police and our communities. This is being undertaken by neighbourhood officers, working in partnership with youth organisations and our Councils. But it is precisely these officers that have been in such short supply.
Pressure from Labour and communities across the country has forced the Conservatives to start to reverse some of the vicious cuts to police budgets, but we have lost tens of thousands of experienced officers whose roles must now be replaced by fresh recruits.
In 2010 every ward across London had a Sergeant, two PCs and three PCSOs who knew their local patch well and had the time and resources to tackle local policing issues and build relationships with local communities.
While Sadiq Khan has worked hard to increase policing levels in London despite the vicious Conservative cuts, there is still much more to do on police reform and police numbers.
Labour is committed to employing and deploying an extra 13,000 police and support staff to boost the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour that the Conservatives have turned a blind eye to for so many years.