Tories getting tougher on crime
Peter Hoskin 12:35pm
David Cameron's interviewed in today's Sun, and he outlines new Tory plans to increase the stop-and-search capabilities of policemen:
"We are never going to deal with [violent crime] unless we free the police to do far more stopping and far more searching. I am quite clear the current rules have to go.In the British police service there were problems with racism, there were problems with attitude. That needed to change. I think it has now been changed.
That change is a good thing. But it’s now time to recognise that it is now possible for the police to carry out more stop and searches without being accused of racism. We will carry out a review to see how we would do it and would implement it very rapidly under a Conservative government.
“Stop and search rules were put in place to protect young black and Asian British kids. Now it’s the young black and British Asian kids that are being stabbed and shot and the rules are getting in the way of protecting them.”
Whilst I'm not quite sure about Cameron's claim that "we have a huge wave of gun and knife crime going on nationwide" (by-and-large, violent crime's down significantly on the levels of ten years ago), any effort to decrease these crimes further can only be welcomed. What's more, his strident tone contrasts favourably with the Home Secretary's admissions about her kebab-eating habits. Could this be the approach that voters have been waiting for?
Previous
EyeSee
January 30th, 2008 1:04pm Report this commentPeter, regarding your 'significant' reduction in violent crime, try reading compiled statistics and not the guesstimate British Crime Survey. Let alone adding in the fact that even quite serious assaults do not get reported now, due to the lack of faith in the police/criminal justice system. (Something one feels Labour were aiming for with their 'reforms' of Policing).
EyeSee
January 30th, 2008 1:18pm Report this commentSorry to post twice but the sloppiness here is telling. Not only do you refer, Peter to the political (and inept) BCS Survey, you link to a BBC site that deliberately seeks to mislead. It happily sings the govt song of reduced violent crime and then qualifies the statistics as from the BCS, which measures people's experience of crime and 'recorded crime'. No it doesn't. It ONLY records the recent experience of a statistically small number of people, over the age of 16. So on their chart, a child murdering a child just didn't happen. How dare you reduce such an important and deadly subject to flippancy, for your political comment. The whole point is, crime isn't being dealt with and tinkering around the edges, whilst people like you drop govt lies in as if they had meaning, ensure we may never cure the problem.
Centaur
January 30th, 2008 2:35pm Report this comment"any effort to decrease these crimes further can only be welcomed." *Any* effort? Shirley not. Hows about an 8pm curfew for all men? No doubt that would cut crime but I don't suppose any of us would want to live in such a state. A bit more thought wouldn't go amiss.
David Lindsay
January 30th, 2008 2:52pm Report this commentCameron tough on crime? Pull the other one! He's seen how angry the previously New Labour Police have been made over their pay, and he's looking to bring them back to the Tories. Fair enough, but that's all.
Mike
January 30th, 2008 2:59pm Report this commentIf you want to believe violent crime has fallen then you should believe the highly politicised and "managed" British Crime Survey in the same way as you will believe the UK inflation numbers relentlessly repeated by Brown & Co. Both are a falsehood. If you want to believe that violent crime has risen quite markedly since 1997 then you merely need to open your curtains and look outside.
Tiberius
January 30th, 2008 2:59pm Report this commentI'm afraid I agree with Eyesee's remarks, Peter. Why are you not sure about characterizing the numbers of beatings, knifings and shootings of the young and the innocent as a wave? I'm not hot on statistics, but I do know that crime stats under New Labour are down in theft because of improved security in cars and the home, and up in violence because the police concentrate resources on traffic and paperwork. You're right that Jacqui Smith hails from a different plane of consciousness, so don't underplay New Labour's contribution by neglect to the awful number and type of murder we see all too regularly today.
Fergus Pickering
January 30th, 2008 4:54pm Report this commentPlease explain where Brown gets this 31% decrease in violent crime from. Whose statistics are these?
Tiberius
January 31st, 2008 8:30am Report this commentGuess what? Brown has nicked this policy too!! To laugh or to cry, that is the question. See today's DT Comment for full side-splitting story.
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