Confused by Tory stance on crime (From Bromsgrove Advertiser)

Confused by Tory stance on crime

3:03pm Monday 8th March 2010

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Bromsgrove Tories, with some guidance from their London-based leadership and under by-election rules, have at last produced a candidate to stand in the forthcoming general election to replace the town’s disgraced MP.

As Bromsgrove’s Labour party election agent I would like to welcome him to Bromsgrove and extend that welcome to joining the contest for Bromsgrove’s parliamentary seat.

I look forward to meeting Mr Javid in the near future and am sure that the next few weeks will be both an interesting and challenging time for all candidates contesting this important election.

Global financial systems are in recovery mode and we are barely out of recession, with many of Bromsgrove’s residents looking forward to a return to stability. The arrival in Bromsgrove of a Thatcherite, ex-banker, parliamentary candidate, who is on the record of not supporting EU banking reforms and actually calling for less regulation of our financial services does make you blink.

Opening The Advertiser, an advertisement promoting Mr Javid and suggesting “More Police on Beat” and “More Criminals Behind Bars” left me puzzled.

Tory party leaders are at odds with Mr Javid on this subject.

Mr Cameron/Osborne/Haigh have all recently pledged to introduce huge cuts if elected and have singled out police forces for reduced operations and in particular the abolishment of community support officers (CSOs).

We have to contrast this with the Labour government’s pre-budget report announcing that sufficient funding will be provided to maintain numbers of police officers and CSOs in the years 2012-13.

When we look at overall crime, measured by the British Crime Survey, it is down by 36 per cent, violence by 41 per cent and burglary by 54 per cent.

And these reductions have taken place in a recession. This government is committed to protecting front line services.

Since those “glorious” days of Thatcherite control, Britain now has 16,000 more police officers plus massive investment in neighbourhood policing which includes just under 16,000 CSOs Mr Javid will need to clarify his manifesto pledges, will he be following Tory promises to slash and cut services, with huge tax benefits to their millionaire backers? Or will he continue, as his adverts suggest, supporting the police service and providing sufficient funding? Politicians, unlike bankers, have to be accountable, more so after recent events. Can we look forward to more detailed advertisement pledges from Mr Javid.

Sean Shannon, Bromsgrove

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