New figures reveal more than 15,300 extra police officers have been hired across England and Wales in the UK’s largest police uplift programme, cutting crime, and keeping communities safe. We were elected in 2019 on a promise to the British people to recruit 20,000 extra police officers to cut crime and make our streets safer. It’s excellent to note we remain on track to deliver this manifesto pledge, with an additional 15,343 police officers patrolling our streets – making up 77 per cent of our manifesto target. The figures also revealed there are now more than 50,000 female police officers in forces across England and Wales for the very first time, delivering on our commitment to ensuring forces become more representative of the communities they serve. This demonstrates the importance of a Conservative Government – delivering on the British people’s priorities and cracking down on crime which tears our communities apart. New data also shows we have a record 1.2 million staff working in our NHS, meaning better care for patients as work to tackle covid related backlogs. We are committed to delivering a properly funded and adequately staffed NHS, providing quality care for everyone who needs it in the UK. That is why we have welcomed new data that shows we have a record 1.2 million people working in the NHS with over 3,700 more doctors and 9,100 more nurses since August 2021. This fantastic news shows our NHS Long Term Plan is working as we deliver on our manifesto commitment to recruit more doctors and nurses. This is incredibly welcome news as we continue to protect the NHS that we all rely on, work to tackle covid related backlogs and constantly improve patient outcomes.
Last week we announced more support for vulnerable people to spot disinformation and boost online safety, keeping the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable people safe online. The most vulnerable people in our society are most at risk of being defrauded or misled online so we must do more to protect them. That is why we have set out additional support for the most vulnerable groups as part of our three-year Online Media Literacy Strategy to protect vulnerable groups from misinformation online backed by funding granted to 17 bodies focused on improving media literacy among vulnerable and ‘hard-to-reach’ groups. This will help those who may need additional help to stay safe online and protect themselves from being victims of misinformation and fraud. I’m particularly keen to see this support rolled out in North Cornwall where we have many older residents who contact my office to raise concerns about a communication they have received over smartphone or email.
ENDS
