Seven years of tough words but what action?

Written by Sarah Teather MP and published in Times/Chronicle Series North West London Newspapers on Wed 3rd Nov 2004

Sarah is calling for more police on Brent's streets

After seven years we have heard a lot of tough words from the Labour Government on crime yet local people still feel increasingly unsafe. In Brent areas such as Press Road have almost become no go areas; they have become a haven for unlawful behaviour. In terms of criminal activity I have more conversations and correspondence about Press Road than anywhere else in my constituency. Despite the Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO's) championed so much by the Labour Council, local people still live in fear. For all the hype the problems continue.

Liberal Democrat Councils have developed what are known as ABC's (Acceptable Behaviour Contracts) I would like to see these used more widely in Brent ABC's are an effective way of tackling anti-social behaviour because they are designed to work with the community. This involves the Council and Police actually sitting down with the people causing the problems and drawing up a contract of what is acceptable behaviour. These contracts are designed to actually tackle the root of the problem, the offender's behaviour. The consequences of breaching the ABC are serious - usually breach will lead to an ASBO and in very serious cases it can result in eviction for the family concerned.

I want to see action on crime that makes our communities and families feel safer not policies created to grab Daily Mail headlines. Labour has introduced 15 bills on crime since it came to power in 1997; people are sick and tired of continuous legislation they want to see more police on our streets. Headline grabbing soundbites won't stop the problems in areas like Press Road. I believe the police are at their best when they are on our streets and in our communities safeguarding our homes.

For me it's about getting police onto our streets, it's about cutting the level of paperwork that an average officer has to fill in, so that they are out on patrol rather than behind a desk. I want everybody to be able to name their local police officer. A police officer who understands the local community who knows where the crime hot-spots are and who knows who the local people are. Only when local communities work closely with the Police will we turn areas like Press Road around. In order to do this we need police officers who know the community and a police officer the community feels it can trust.

I believe the key to creating a safer community in areas like Press Road is a greater police presence. Criminals aren't scared of tough sounding buzzwords their scared of being caught by a police officer. Local people would have a much greater piece of mind if they knew that a police officer was just around the corner.

A Liberal Democrat Government would recruit an extra 10,000 police officers to tackle crime. I want to see police officers given the support and the resources to get on with the job of policing in our communities. These officers would be paid for by scrapping the Government's costly ID card scheme. ID cards that are yet another scheme designed to sound tough but yet have little evidence of cutting crime.

Between Labour and the Liberal Democrats there are two conflicting approaches to tackling crime. Labour's answer is more legislation; the Liberal Democrats is more police. If you support the Liberal Democrats call for more police to tackle crime in Brent please sign my petition here http://www.brentlibdems.org.uk/petitions/