Rishi Sunak vows to recruit 8,000 more police officers – one for every ward in England and Wales – paid for by foreign visa hikes

The Conservatives pledged last night to recruit 8,000 more police officers by raising visa fees for foreign visitors and workers.

Now that both sides are going head-to-head on matters of law and order, Rishi Sunak promised to bring back the community police Work They said they would speed up prison construction and clear the backlog of rape cases in the courts.

Under the plan, the Tories promised to introduce an extra police officer for every borough in England and Wales. They will be given new tools to catch criminals, including greater use of facial recognition technology and stricter powers to confiscate knives.

The party said the plan would be partly paid for by abolishing the student discount on the immigration health surcharge and increasing all visa fees by 25 percent.

It means the ‘Standard Visitor’ visa will rise from £115 to just over £143, while a skilled work visa could rise by £400 to £2,000.

Rishi Sunak visits a community garden project during his election campaign

Under the plan, the Tories promised to introduce an extra police officer for every borough in England and Wales. They will be given new tools to catch criminals, including greater use of facial recognition technology and stricter powers to confiscate knives

The Tories have simultaneously promised to reduce migration and introduce an annual visa cap.

But the party last night stressed that as visa numbers fall, funding for the new police officers would increasingly come from the crackdown on tax avoidance.

Some 20,000 additional police officers have been recruited since 2019, but this follows a decline in numbers compared to previous years.

Labor has promised to increase police numbers by 13,000, including 3,000 extra officers, 4,000 extra PCSOs and 3,000 extra specials. The figure also includes the 3,000 officers shielded from government support.

Last weekend, Sir Keir Starmer’s party pledged to ease pressure on prisons by unblocking the planning process and boosting the building programme. Labor said the prison was ‘bursting at the seams’ due to inaction and mismanagement by the Tories.

Police chiefs were called on earlier this year to take fewer suspects into custody due to overcrowding.

Labor also wants to set up 80 new specialist rape courts in England and Wales to speed up cases as part of plans to tackle violence against women and girls, which will be included in the manifesto.

It will also include a pledge to introduce specialist rape units in every police force, where staff trained to deal with domestic violence will work with victims.

Mr Sunak said last night: ‘Our 20,000 new police officers since 2019 have made a huge difference, resulting in a 48 per cent drop in neighborhood crime. We are now going further by hiring a further 8,000 police officers, each dedicated to their local community.

The Tories have simultaneously promised to cut migration and introduce an annual visa cap (Stock Image)

‘People deserve to feel safe in their neighborhood. More bobbies on the beat and more powers will give the police the tools they need to reduce neighborhood crime even further.’

The Prime Minister said Labor has ‘no idea how to fund more police officers’, adding: ‘Without a plan, crime will only increase, as we have seen in areas with a Labor Police and Crime Commissioner.’

Home Secretary James Cleverly said the Tories will ‘always support our brave police and security forces’, adding: ‘The Conservatives will take bold action with a clear plan to build a safer future for people in the whole country.

‘Unlike Keir Starmer’s Labor Party, which has no plan to keep the country safe. You only have to look at London, where crime has increased under a Labor government, to see the real damage the Labor Party can do to your community.”