Boris Johnson has pledged to deliver a new Police Covenant which he said would “make sure our police officers and staff get the respect and support they deserve”.
The Prime Minister said the Government was fully behind “the best police in the world” as the country returned to normal in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and said 44 per cent of its target to recruit 20,000 additional officers by 2023 had already been met.
Opening this year’s Police Federation of England and Wales’ annual conference with a recorded video message, Mr Johnson issued a “huge thank you” to “our incredible police men and women” for the way they had reacted to the extraordinary demands of the coronavirus crisis.
He said: “Just as I could never have imagined being forced to close pubs and bars and restaurants or tell people how many households could get together, I bet that policing restrictions in that way was not something you ever dreamt you would be doing.
“But you did it because you knew it was how we were going to protect the NHS and save lives.
“And now as we move closer to normality and get on with cracking down on crime, we want you to know that we are going to be backing you all the way, providing millions in funding to tackle serious violence and drugs gangs, giving you the manpower to get the job done.
“And supporting you through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, with new powers to deal with highly disruptive protests, greater powers for stop and search, doubling the maximum sentence for assaults on emergency workers and making sure that serious violent and sexual offenders spend longer behind bars.
“And we will deliver a new policing covenant to make sure our police officers and staff get the respect and support they deserve.
“You have shown over the past year just why British police are the best in the world, now we are going to make sure you have the tools you need to deal with criminals, make our streets safer, and get on with the job you signed up to do.”
