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<p>The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of officers primarily
employed in Neighbourhood Policing/Safer Neighbourhood roles by police force area.
However, the Home Office does not hold data on the number of Safer Neighbourhood teams,
only on the number of full-time equivalent officers under their primary function.</p><p>
</p><p>The number of full time equivalent police officers in each police force (and
specifically in the Metropolitan Police), primarily employed in Neighbourhood Policing/Safer
Neighbourhood roles, can be found in the data tables published alongside the annual
‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins, which can be accessed
here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales</a></p><p>
</p><p>Data as at 31 March 2017 can be found in Table F1 of the accompanying tables
of the police workforce statistics, published on 20 July 2017, here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017</a></p><p>
</p><p>Previous data were collected under a different framework, with different definitions.
Therefore, data prior to 31 March 2015 are not directly comparable with later years.
Although some functions may appear to be similar between the two, there are often
differences in definitions, and so any attempts to compare across the two frameworks
should be done with caution. Data under the old framework have been published since
2012, and can be found in the supplementary data tables of the relevant police workforce
publications via the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales</a></p><p>
</p><p>Officers with multiple responsibilities or designations are recorded under
their primary function. The data do not therefore provide a complete picture of all
officers assigned to neighbourhood policing functions. A more reliable measure is
the number of officers employed in ‘Local policing’ roles, which includes both neighbourhood
and response functions. This measure is available for 2015 and 2016, but not for previous
years where a different framework was used.</p><p> </p><p>Any comparisons at force
level should be made with care due to collaboration arrangements between forces for
particular functions. Additionally, police functions data are often affected by re-structuring
within police forces. Therefore comparisons over time for specific functions should
be made with care.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office does not collect data at the London
borough or at the ward level. Data as at 31 January, or broken down by rank, are also
not available.</p><p> </p><p>Decisions on duties and deployments are matters for Chief
Constables and the directly accountable Police and Crime Commissioners for each local
area.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government believes in local policing, accountable
to local communities. That is why we abolished all central Government targets and
put local people in charge by introducing directly elected police and crime commissioners.</p><p>
</p><p>Police and Crime Commissioners, the elected mayors in London and Manchester
and local forces are transforming the way in which they deploy operational resources
to meet local circumstances and priorities and adapt to the changing crime threat.
The distinction between Neighbourhoods and response teams is no longer clear cut as
forces transform the way in which they deploy operational resources and evolve roles
to meet local circumstances and priorities, and adapt to the changing crime threat.</p><p>
</p><p>The freedom to exercise discretion and flexibility has resulted in a range
of local policing approaches. At least 33 forces have introduced significant changes,
including merging neighbourhoods and response functions; or, for example, in Durham
where safeguarding teams have been bought together with Neighbourhoods teams.</p>
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