HAMPSHIRE’S police and crime commissioner has hit back at criticism by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) that some forces could be “sleepwalking” back to an old model of policing where they are “isolated from communities” because of cuts in neighbourhood policing.

An adamant Simon Hayes said: “Neighbourhood policing has been decimated across England and Wales not because of ineffective policing locally but because police forces have had grants cut in excess of 20 per cent by the Government.

“It is rich for HMIC to now be criticising local forces when the rug has been pulled from under community policing. Any sleepwalking away from communities is caused not by policing agencies but by Government policy and ideological thinking.”

Mr Hayes has seen red over the HMIC’s Peel Report on police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy, which rated just one force (Durham Constabulary) as outstanding, 24 forces as good, and 18 forces across England and Wales as requiring improvement. No force was found to be inadequate.

On releasing the report on February 18, HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoe Billingham, who led the inspection, said: “This is one of the most wide-ranging inspections HMIC has ever conducted. We’ve examined police effectiveness across the board – from how forces identify anti-social behaviour hotspots to their mapping of organised crime groups, and from their management of the most dangerous offenders to their work to protect children.

“The job of the inspectorate is to shine a light on both good performance and on things that need to improve, and this inspection found both.”

According to Ms Billingham, almost all forces were found to be ‘good’ at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour but, she warned, this was “at risk if neighbourhood policing is further eroded”.

She added: “Losing our eyes and ears in the community is only likely to hamper good performance in preventing crime. Police leaders need to take heed of HMIC’s early warning and make sure that neighbourhood policing – the cornerstone of the British policing model – is preserved for future generations.”

While pleased that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary was rated ‘good’ in the report, Mr Hayes was keen to point out that it would be “misleading” if the public gained the impression from the headlines that neighbourhood policing is not considered important.

“Neighbourhood policing was a red line for me from 2012 when I was elected as police and crime commissioner,” he said. “ I have been committed to having a police presence in our neighbourhoods which is why I have protected police community support officer numbers and will now be recruiting 108 new constables into the force to stop the reduction in numbers that has been forced on us by Government in recent years.”