Tories vow to enlist 8,000 extra police for neighbourhood crime crackdown

RISHI Sunak declared war on neighbourhood crime yesterday, pledging 8,000 new police officers will patrol the nation's communities.

- Michael Knowles

The Prime Minister said the £818million bobby boost would drive down burglary, drug dealing, car thefts and shoplifting.

The Tories say they will pay for the move by raising visa fees for foreign visitors, workers and students coming to the UK by 25%.

It means tourists will face a bill of £144, instead of £115, and workers moving to Britain must pay £1,775 - a £355 increase.

Foreign students will also have to pay more to use the NHS.

A Conservative Government plans to end the discount for overseas students and raise the Immigration Health Surcharge from £776 to £1,035. And party sources have told the Daily Express a condition will be applied to Home Office funding grants to ensure the new officers are sent into neighbourhood policing teams.

It will effectively mean a new officer is dedicated to every village in the country.

Mr Sunak said: "Our new 20,000 new police officers since 2019 have made a huge difference, with neighbourhood crime down 48% as a result." He added: "We will now go further by hiring 8,000 more police officers, each one dedicated to their local community.