New police officers should be put on the beat, not behind desks, Shabana Mahmood has told forces after a surge in bobbies doing backroom jobs.
The Home Secretary has scrapped a grant for police forces that provides additional funding if they meet officer headcount targets.
Ms Mahmood will replace the so-called officer maintenance grant with ring-fenced funding for neighbourhood officers.
Figures published on Tuesday showed that almost 2,400 extra officers had been recruited into neighbourhood police roles in just six months.
Speaking about the changes, Shabana Mahmood said:
I am putting police back where they belong – on the beat, fighting crime and catching criminals in our communities.
Credit: Charles Hyams, The Telegraph