Westminster Life: A better city centre at the heart of Peterborough

So, it was great to join my work in Parliament with local action this week, organising a business surgery for senior police officers so that they could meet directly with business owners to hear, first-hand, the challenges we face.

I promised to make neighbourhood policing a priority if elected, and I have continued to champion more officers on the beat, both in the city centre and our estates. I’d like to thank Peterborough Positive – our growing business improvement district representing over 400 local businesses – and Councillor Dennis Jones, Leader of the council, for joining me and senior officers on the walkabout.

We have some incredibly dedicated police officers serving our community, but we need more of them. I spoke to the Minister of Policing this week about ensuring we get the funding we need in Peterborough. The Labour Government recently doubled its Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to £200 million to fund community policing across the UK. Around £2 million of that will be allocated to Cambridgeshire, and I want to make sure the city centre is prioritised for additional officers. This means more police together with council enforcement officers keeping our city centre safe.

Anti-social behaviour in our city centre remains a pressing concern, one that I’ve addressed in previous columns and that constituents raise with me repeatedly. Too many people feel unsafe in our streets, whether due to retail crime, anti-social behaviour, or worse. This week, I acted by writing to Cambridgeshire’s Chief Constable Nick Dean, urging him to prioritise this investment in our city centre. We need more visible policing, extra officers, working alongside the council’s “green jacket” enforcement team, to create a more visible and effective presence in the city centre. While this wouldn’t transform the situation overnight, it would undoubtedly be a step in the right direction.

The Chief Constable’s reply was encouraging. He expressed confidence in using the new funding to bring more officers into the force and assured me that high-need areas like our city centre are top priorities for deployment. While training and deployment will take time, this is a step in the right direction and demonstrates that our local constabulary understands the urgency of the situation.

Looking ahead, the Crime and Policing Bill, which I recently voted for in Parliament, will introduce new tools, like Respect Orders, allowing the police to swiftly address persistent offenders of anti-social behaviour. We’re also closing the loophole that effectively decriminalised shoplifting under £200, a change that will better protect local businesses and support public safety.

I’ll keep pushing for neighbourhood police until we secure the resources we need. A new team in the city centre won’t solve everything overnight, but it’s a start. Peterborough deserves safe, vibrant streets where businesses thrive, and families feel confident. Let’s work together to make this vision a reality.