News Date: Monday 25th January 2010
Put the law back on the side of local people across Sussex– Tim Loughton MP
Blueprint to tackle crime in Sussex, as 20,266 violent attacks took place last year
Tim Loughton MP for East Worthing and Shoreham today strongly endorsed radical and bold new plans – set out in the Conservatives’ draft election manifesto – to tackle crime and to restore confidence in Britain’s ‘broken’ criminal justice system.
Their importance is underlined by new analysis revealing that there were 20,266 violent attacks on people across Sussex in the last year, a rise of 20per cent in the last decade. Under the manifesto plans, a Conservative Government would:
- Give Sussex’s citizens greater protection if they have to defend themselves against intruders in their homes, or if they stop a crime being committed in the street.
- Create fifteen new rape crisis centres across the country, and give all existing rape crisis centres stable, long-term funding.
- Grant West Sussex new powers to fight booze-fuelled antisocial behaviour, and stop supermarkets selling alcohol at below cost-price which is destroying law-abiding local pubs and fuelling low-level crime.
- Replace the invisible and unaccountable Sussex Police Authority, making the police properly accountable to a directly elected person who will set priorities for local policing.
- Publish detailed street-by-street crime statistics online every month, in an open and standardised format, so people know the real level of crime in their neighbourhood.
- Make it clear that anyone caught carrying a knife in a public place can expect to be prosecuted and sent to prison.
Tim said:
"Labour have launched endless initiatives and top-down schemes which have made little difference. Their broken promises have undermined people’s trust. We can’t go on with the police filling in forms instead of fighting crime.
"Our hard-working local police officers deserve the highest praise. But many people across Sussex are hugely frustrated with our criminal justice system. They feel that it’s just not on their side anymore. These major Conservative proposals will help put the law back on the side of local people in Sussex and give our police the full support they so richly deserve."
Notes to Editors
NEW MANIFESTO TO TACKLE CRIME
The crime section of Conservatives’ draft general election manifesto was published on 19 January.
http://www.conservatives.com/~/media/Files/Draft%20Manifesto/DraftCrimeManifesto.ashx?dl=true (PDF)
