Neighbourhood police are integral to gathering intelligence on attacks like the one in Streatham – let’s not forget them

A lot of the information authorities come to rely on is collected at ground level by the teams that have the deepest knowledge of different communities and districts. Without them, we’d struggle

How a young man, whom the authorities knew posed a risk to the public, came to be released halfway through his sentence and just a week later went on to stab two members of the public is quite rightly a matter of huge national debate today.

In short, why on earth was he released, given the appalling things he had said and done? The law must be changed because, clearly, it is not fit for purpose in this area.

As a Streatham boy, born and bred, it was shocking and terrifying to see the events unfold on Streatham High Road yesterday. One can only imagine what the three victims are going through. Our thoughts are with them and their families as they hopefully recover from this appalling incident.

There has been much praise of the swiftness of the police response – thankfully they had the perpetrator under surveillance so could contain the situation quickly.

During my 10 years as an MP for Streatham, I was constantly kept updated on the measures emergency services take in order to keep us safe. As part of that, I also received regular confidential briefings on some of the more sensitive matters they tend to deal with. It is at times like this that one feels we owe them an even bigger debt of gratitude for what they do for us. However, what is often not appreciated is the important role of neighbourhood policing in all of this.

When serious incidents like this happen, it is the top of the chain – the Met Police commissioner, the home secretary, the mayor of London and so on – who we hear from on the TV.

But a lot of the intelligence that they come to rely on is collected at ground level by those who have the deepest knowledge of different communities and districts – local policing teams.

Neighbourhood policing work is not high profile. They are spread very thinly over large wards, covering thousands of people, and yet they plough on doing the best they can.

Because they cannot meet the increasing demand made of them with insufficient resources, they are often subject to criticism and complaints but they push forward regardless. They are among the unsung heroes in the ongoing battle against extremism and terror in our country – it seems fitting that we recognise this today.

Chuka Umunna is a columnist for The Independent as well as a lawyer and a British politician