How are you going to reduce crime & anti-social activity?
Many people are concerned about the problem of crime, the need for meaningful sentences and a tougher stand. I can assure you that the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, is as determined as you to solve the problem. In many cases his policies are working.
In Charnwood burglaries have dropped by nearly 10% in the last year -still too many, but robbery, thefts from vehicles and even cycle thefts have dropped. The British Crime Survey reports an overall drop in most crimes across Britain. There is no room for complacency, however. Both I and the Prime Minister understand that low level anti-social behaviour may give the impression that things are worse. This is why the current legislation should help. We are less likely to be victims of crime today than at any time for 20 years but because of this anti-social behaviour I know the perception is different.
It is also important to get sentencing right - ensuring the punishment fits the crime, as some put it. You may know that We now have more people in prison than ever before (over 70,000) and certainly more per head of population than in most other European countries, in fact, prisons are overflowing. This has, in part, led the Home Secretary to look at other alternatives, such as rehabilitation for drug addicts and putting more resources into the probation service where we can monitor offenders effectively outside prison. Surely it's right to ensure that we are all better protected with treatment that stops offending. We must be tough - but be mature enough to use a range of methods where they are proven to be more effective at dealing with the problem.
I will continue to treat this matter as a very high priority.
Last updated 25th March 2003
