Member

Amendment 409E seeks to tackle the huge bureaucracy that police services have become, with energetic police officers weighed down by petty requirements. The Bill adds to such requirements, rather than the reverse. The Bill introduces new offences—for example, in sexual and online crime—but it is much lighter on neighbourhood policing. We need to free up resources for enforcement, which is why I proposed a review of police paperwork and its online equivalent. In Committee, the Minister mentioned the 2023 police activity survey, which is to be repeated this year; perhaps he could summarise the main findings and explain how it is actually being used to reduce bureaucracy.