LABOUR deputy leader Tom Watson emphasised the importance of more bobbies on the beat to “keep communities feeling secure” – during a visit to Worcester.

The MP for West Bromwich East was at the city’s Horizon Centre on Saturday, as part of an action day against government cuts to the police.

Speaking to Worcester News, he said, “neighbourhood policing has been decimated” in West Mercia by Tory cuts.

Figures released by the BBC Shared Data Unit this month show that officers on the beat in West Mercia has dropped by 14 per cent over the last five years.

“We’ve lost hundreds of police officers, something like 370 officers,” said Mr Watson, originally from Kidderminster.

“I’m from this neck of the woods. Whenever I go home, I know the number one issue on the doors is people just say they don’t see visible police officers.

“Labour will invest in policing,” he said. “Particularly in neighbourhood policing.

“We warned Theresa May when she was home secretary that if she allowed this level of funding cuts to go through over so many years that ultimately it would lead to increasing crime and lack of confidence in policing, and that’s what’s happening. “When that starts to happen in society, it’s very bad.”

Asked how a Labour government would afford to increase funding for the police if the current government can’t, Mr Watson said: “The Tories can afford to invest more in all public services; they’ve chosen not to.

“And they have decided they want to give tax breaks to the very rich.

“We say, the more you rely on private services to deliver public services – taxpayers money is syphoned out of the system to go in dividends to shareholders, and that money can be used to reinvest in public services.”

Asked if a Labour government would look to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners, he said: “It might be that we look at a different model of how they are held to account.

“We are consulting about what will go in our manifesto.

"And I’m sure there’ll be a discussion about the future of PCCs.

“Right now, we are not going to change the current arrangements.”

As part of a short speech to local party members at the event, Mr Watson said police cuts are just part of a “cumulative effect of seven years of austerity that have decimated public services”.

As party members prepared to head out canvassing in Cathedral ward ahead of the local elections in May, he said Labour believes in “very strong devolved powers to local government”.

“Not only do we want to adequately fund our local authorities, but I think if we do end up with a Brexit settlement we don’t just want power to come from unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, given to unelected bureaucrats in White Hall, we want to push that power into the regions and local authorities around the country.

“In a first term Labour government, you [would] see an immediate additional support for our local authorities as they stand.

“But you will also see quite radical changes to where services are crafted and delivered.

“Certainly, there will be far less in private hands, but there will be less activity directed from Westminster and White Hall, pushed down into the counties and into the local authorities.”