Significant funding boost for police to keep streets safe

Posted to News on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Share:

MEMBERS OF the public will be better protected from crime as police forces across England and Wales are set to receive a Government funding boost of up to £798 million in the next financial year. This additional money brings total funding up to £19.5 billion, which equals a 4.3% cash increase and a 2% real terms increase.

The majority of this funding is for local forces, with an additional £746 million allowing them to prioritise the crimes impacting their communities, including knife crime, antisocial behaviour and shop theft.

The funding comes in the wake of the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which has put named and contactable officers in every community, increased peak time patrols in town centres and placed antisocial behaviour leads in every force.

In parallel, funding for Counter Terrorism Policing will increase by at least £52 million, ensuring that it has the resources needed to deal with the threats faced and protect the public. This will bring total funding for Counter Terrorism Policing up to more than £1.2 billion.

Funding and reform

Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said: “We are providing police forces with a significant increase in funding that will allow them to step up their efforts in tackling the crimes that are blighting our communities, including knife crime and antisocial behaviour.”

Jones added: “We know that funding alone will not deliver our ambitions. Police leaders have been crying out for reform and our upcoming White Paper will deliver this to free up officer time and put bobbies back on our streets.”

A final settlement providing more detail on grant allocations will be released once the Government’s police reform-focused White Paper has been published. This will set out landmark reforms to bring policing into the modern age with the technology, innovation and structures forces require in order to fight crime and protect communities.

Knife crime

This funding increase follows a year in which knife-related homicides fell by almost 20% in the 12 months to June 2025. Knife crime overall fell for the first time in four years, dropping by 5% over the same period.

In addition, the Government’s winter of action – a nationwide crackdown on crime and antisocial behaviour – builds on its Safer Streets summer initiative, which covered nearly 650 town centres and led to upwards of 16,000 arrests and fines, primarily for shoplifting and antisocial behaviour.