Written questions by Pinkerton.

What assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of knife-enabled crime in Surrey Police’s force area over the last five years.

The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March 2020 to 465 offences in year ending September 2025).Neighbourhood policing plays a vital role in our mission to halve knife crime by helping to prevent violence to keep communities safe. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel in neighbourhood roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.As at 31 March 2025, Surrey Police had 191 full-time equivalent (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) officers, comprising 128 FTE police officers and 64 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE NHP police officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE Neighbourhood Policing officers out of a delivery plan target of 25 FTE.Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.This strengthened, visible neighbourhood presence supports earlier intervention, builds community confidence, and helps reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence.The Serious Violence Duty also plays an important role in preventing knife crime in Surrey. It brings key local partners together, including policing, health, education and local authorities, to prevent and reduce serious violence in a joined up, evidence-led way. The Home Office has made £546,000 available to Surrey in 2025/26 to deliver the Duty, funding a wide range of interventions that support Surrey Police in responding to knife crime among under 18s, including support for Op Shield and Surrey’s Primary Intervention Programme for youth related serious violence.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure neighbourhood policing teams have sufficient resources to carry out preventative work to deter knife carrying in Surrey.

The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March 2020 to 465 offences in year ending September 2025).Neighbourhood policing plays a vital role in our mission to halve knife crime by helping to prevent violence to keep communities safe. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel in neighbourhood roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.As at 31 March 2025, Surrey Police had 191 full-time equivalent (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) officers, comprising 128 FTE police officers and 64 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE NHP police officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE Neighbourhood Policing officers out of a delivery plan target of 25 FTE.Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.This strengthened, visible neighbourhood presence supports earlier intervention, builds community confidence, and helps reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence.The Serious Violence Duty also plays an important role in preventing knife crime in Surrey. It brings key local partners together, including policing, health, education and local authorities, to prevent and reduce serious violence in a joined up, evidence-led way. The Home Office has made £546,000 available to Surrey in 2025/26 to deliver the Duty, funding a wide range of interventions that support Surrey Police in responding to knife crime among under 18s, including support for Op Shield and Surrey’s Primary Intervention Programme for youth related serious violence.

What additional operational support has been provided to Surrey Police to respond to knife crime incidents involving under-18s.

The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March 2020 to 465 offences in year ending September 2025).Neighbourhood policing plays a vital role in our mission to halve knife crime by helping to prevent violence to keep communities safe. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel in neighbourhood roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.As at 31 March 2025, Surrey Police had 191 full-time equivalent (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) officers, comprising 128 FTE police officers and 64 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE NHP police officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE Neighbourhood Policing officers out of a delivery plan target of 25 FTE.Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.This strengthened, visible neighbourhood presence supports earlier intervention, builds community confidence, and helps reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence.The Serious Violence Duty also plays an important role in preventing knife crime in Surrey. It brings key local partners together, including policing, health, education and local authorities, to prevent and reduce serious violence in a joined up, evidence-led way. The Home Office has made £546,000 available to Surrey in 2025/26 to deliver the Duty, funding a wide range of interventions that support Surrey Police in responding to knife crime among under 18s, including support for Op Shield and Surrey’s Primary Intervention Programme for youth related serious violence.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the rollout of facial recognition technology on levels of crime in Surrey Heath constituency.

No assessment has been made for the impact of the rollout of facial recognition technology on crime levels specifically within Surrey Heath constituency.However, a national evaluation is in progress to understand the impact of police use of facial recognition in the prevention and investigation of crime and the impacts on public trust and confidence. Once complete, its findings and a final report associated with it are intended for future publication.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposals to reduce larger policing bodies on (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government published its Police Reform White Paper on 26 January 2026. It set out an ambitious package of reform, including an ambition to significantly reduce the number of police forces across England and Wales.We will shortly launch an Independent Review of Police Force Structures, which will make recommendations on the optimum configuration of fewer, larger forces. It will consider a wide range of evidence and engage with policing and community stakeholders in reaching its recommendations, which are due to be reported by the Summer.

What guidance is in place to ensure that reports of violence by children towards parents or carers lead to appropriate safeguarding and support in Surrey Heath constituency.

Prevention and early intervention with children and young people are fundamental to the government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade – including improving the response to child to parent or caregiver abuse.‘The Domestic Abuse Act 2021: statutory guidance’ provides advice for frontline professionals and families to identify child to parent and caregiver abuse. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023’ provides guidance on the multi-agency response to support and safeguard children, including those using harm.Since 2023 the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner has received Home Office funding to support their Steps to Change Hub via the Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund. Funding supports delivery of Young People Using Violence and Abuse, a youth‑focused programme offering one‑to‑one support for young people who use violence or abusive behaviour towards family members, carers, siblings, or intimate partners.

What estimate her Department has made of the level of impact of disruption to entry and exit systems at UK borders during the Christmas period on the economy.

The Entry / Exit System (EES) is an EU system; we are working with the French authorities and UK operators at St Pancras, Folkestone, and Port of Dover to minimise disruption.There has been no disruption at the UK border related to EES. The system is being introduced through a phased implementation, and no meaningful assessment can be made at this stage of the rollout.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to (a) businesses and (b) travellers arising from delays associated with the entry and exit system into the European Union.

The Entry / Exit System (EES) is an EU system; we are working with the French authorities and UK operators at St Pancras, Folkestone, and Port of Dover to minimise disruption.There has been no disruption at the UK border related to EES. The system is being introduced through a phased implementation, and no meaningful assessment can be made at this stage of the rollout.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of streamlining visa arrangements for musicians, performers, and other cultural professionals working between the UK and the EU.

The UK immigration system is generous in its provisions for musicians, performers and other cultural professionals, with different pathways for non-visa nationals (such as EU/EEA nationals) in the creative sector to come to the UK without requiring a visa. We continually keep our policies under review and the Government has committed to supporting touring artists at the UK-EU summit in May last year.

What assessment her Department has made of recent trends in levels of violence against women and girls in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency it is. The “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, published on 18th December 2025, sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims, and to deliver our unprecedented commitment to halve VAWG in a decade. The headline metric we are using to measure progress against our ambition is through a combined estimate of the proportion of people aged 16 and over who have experienced any of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking in the previous 12 months, based on the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).Figures for domestic abuse-related offences recorded by the police are published at the Police Force Area level by the Office for National Statistics. The latest available data can be found in Table 8 here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/domesticabuseprevalenceandvictimcharacteristicsappendixtablesFigures for crime recorded by the police may be subject to issues such as recording practices and willingness of victims to contact the police.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle (a) extremism and (b) radicalisation in the (i) South East and (ii) Surrey.

Prevent is a part of the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy and intervenes early to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Home Office funds the highest threat areas to go above and beyond to ensure delivery of the Prevent Duty is targeted and effective, including 1 area in the South-East.However, the threat and risk of radicalisation is no longer contained within administrative boundaries as we see increases in online radicalisation. In response, we have introduced funding for a regional delivery officer post to provide additional support in some areas across England. Surrey is an early adopter of that model, with an officer in place who covers both Surrey and Sussex. Regional delivery officers will deliver training and community engagement work as well as supporting in a crisis response situation.In addition, Home Office provides expert support and advice to all local authorities through its regional Prevent Advisers and funding for Prevent projects in local communities that every Local Authority can access.

What steps she is taking to provide security protections for faith communities in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer. The Government and police work closely together to review threats and strengthen protections for communities against terrorism and hate crime.Up to £70.9 million is available to protect faith communities in 2025/26. This includes £18 million through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, £29.4 million through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme and for security at Muslim faith schools, and £3.5 million through the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme for places of worship and associated faith community centres of all other faiths. In addition, up to £10 million of emergency funding has been made available for both Jewish and Muslim communities each to further strengthen security measures at their places of worship and other community sites.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle cyber crime in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

Cyber crime causes huge damage to people and businesses across the UK and is a leading priority for the Government. The Home Office works with our partners across Government and law enforcement, including the National Crime Agency, National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Policing to tackle all cyber threat, including cyber crime.The Home Office funds the Regional Cyber Crime Units (RCCUs) across England and Wales, tasked with investigating and pursuing serious cyber offenders conducting crime committed in, or against, the UK. This includes the South East Cyber Crime Unit in the South East Regional Crime Unit (SEROCU), which covers Surrey and Surrey Heath. Since 2017, in partnership with local Police and Crime Commissioners, the Home Office has directly funded a national network of specialist officers trained to investigate cyber crime and support local communities in efforts to prevent crimes that occur online.The South East Cyber Crime Unit is the first in the UK to operate as a fully collaborated unit across the South East Region. It brings together experts from SEROCU, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Thames Valley Police, Surrey Police, and Sussex Police into a single flexible capability. The unit follows the Serious and Organised Crime ‘4P’ model, including Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare, with each force retaining a Pursue Team working collaboratively with regional resources.Cyber crime is treated as Serious and Organised Crime within SEROCU’s control strategy. The aim is to identify, disrupt, and reduce the impact of cyber criminals as part of the National Cyber Network. SEROCU target offenders profiting from cyber tools or stolen data, carry out work to prevent cyber crime and pursue criminal justice outcomes as appropriate.Through Protect and Prepare work, SEROCU engage businesses and communities via outreach, webinars, and partnerships to improve cyber security awareness and assist the public and organisations in recovery and resilience. This includes the Cyber Resilience Centre (CRC) for the South East, funded by the Home Office, which offers a package of measures to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), providing tailored advice and long-term support, aligned to National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) standards, helping these organisations take proactive steps towards improving their cyber security.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve police efficiency in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The policing system must be equipped to serve the public effectively and to make efficient use of its funding and resources.The Government has established a Police Efficiency and Collaboration Programme which will save £354 million and free up millions of officer hours by 2029 across policing. The programme’s initiatives are available to all 43 forces across England & Wales. Surrey has already started to participate in some of the programme’s offerings including signing up to a new commercial energy strategy to increase price certainty and reduce risk in a volatile market.In the coming weeks, we will be setting out further reforms in a white paper on policing.Surrey Police will receive up to £343 million in 2026/27, an increase of up to £14.8 million when compared to the 2025/26 police funding settlement.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of automatic number plate recognition cameras in operation across (a) England and (b) Wales.

At present UK Law Enforcement Agencies have access to ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) data from 12,076 camera locations in England, Scotland and Wales via the National ANPR Service (NAS).Further cameras will be used by Local Authorities in the UK use ANPR cameras to enforce traffic rules, manage restricted zones like Low Emission Zones (LEZ), School Streets, and Lorry Controls, monitor traffic flow, and tackle anti-social behaviour, issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) for violations like driving in bus lanes or breaching HGV access times. Many more are used privately by petrol station forecourt and car parking operators.

How inaccuracies in vehicle databases are accounted for when ANPR data is used in policing decisions.

ANPR is a valuable tool to help the police tackle crime and keep the road safe. We keep the effectiveness of police and law enforcement use of ANPR under regular review, to ensure it remains a robust tool for identifying vehicles of interest to the police and drivers who break the law. Reads in the National ANPR Service are usually accompanied by a close-up image of the number plate (plate patch) and an overview image of the vehicle to enable users to corroborate the data.

What assessment she has made of the reliability of ANPR data in (a) preventing and (b) detecting (i) road traffic and (ii) wider criminal offences.

ANPR is a valuable tool to help the police tackle crime and keep the road safe. We keep the effectiveness of police and law enforcement use of ANPR under regular review, to ensure it remains a robust tool for identifying vehicles of interest to the police and drivers who break the law. Reads in the National ANPR Service are usually accompanied by a close-up image of the number plate (plate patch) and an overview image of the vehicle to enable users to corroborate the data.

What steps she is taking to ensure that police counters are kept open in Surrey Heath constituency.

Decisions regarding the police estate, including the availability of front counters at police stations, are a matter for Chief Constables equivalents. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience.Police stations are just one of the ways in which people can access their local police. They can also speak to police online, including to report crime, 24 hours a day or by using the 101 service for non-emergencies or 999 in an emergency. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, all forces now also have named and contactable neighbourhood officers dedicated to addressing the issues that matter most to their communities.

What steps she is taking to protect civil liberties in the (a) development and (b) implementation of (i) public order and (ii) policing policy.

All protest legislation has been and is developed in line with the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly Articles 10 and 11. The government remains committed to protecting civil liberties, including the right to peaceful protest.It has long been a principle in this country that individuals may gather and express their views, provided they do so within the law. Where protests contravene the law, it is essential that the police who are operationally independent have appropriate powers to respond.The Home Secretary launched an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation on 5 October led by Lord Macdonald of River Glaven KC. The review will ensure police powers remain fit for purpose, are used consistently, and strike the right balance between protecting the public and upholding the right to lawful protest.It will address whether the existing legislation is effective and proportionate, whether it adequately protects communities from intimidation and hate and whether it strikes a fair and sustainable balance between the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, and the need to prevent disorder and keep communities safe.The review is underway and will conclude by Spring 2026.

What steps she is taking to tackle hate crime in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime wherever in the country it occurs, and whoever is responsible for committing it. We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to hate crimes which target race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity, and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. The Home Secretary launched an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation on 5 October.  The review will ensure police powers remain fit for purpose, are used consistently, and strike the right balance between protecting the public and upholding the right to lawful protest. It will address whether the existing legislation is effective and proportionate, whether it adequately protects communities from intimidation and hate and whether it strikes a fair and sustainable balance between the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, and the need to prevent disorder and keep communities safe. In addition, the government funds an online hate crime reporting portal, True Vision, designed so victims of all types of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. The government also funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub, which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime, providing expert advice to police to support them in investigating these abhorrent offences.