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| Britain |
| UK conservatives call for 'in your face' policing |
| 2010-04-05 |
| David Cameron believes Labour's record on crime and anti-social behaviour will feature heavily in the general election campaign which is likely to be triggered by Gordon Brown on Tuesday. The Tory leader will demand that police "harass" troublemakers, as he distances himself from the party's recent "hug-a-hoodie" reputation. The move comes after weekend polls suggested the Tories now have a 10 point lead over Labour, enough to given them an overall majority. Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, told The Daily Telegraph that a Conservative government would usher in a new era of policing with senior officers returned to the frontline and offenders dealt with swiftly. He said he expects prison numbers to rise in the first years of a new Tory administration as new policies on sentencing, including scrapping early release and tougher terms for knife crime, come into force. He said: "I want to see more 'in your face' policing. I want to see the trouble-makers being stopped, getting harassed, getting challenged and being dealt with immediately." His remarks on policing, which were made in an interview he gave to The Daily Telegraph last week, mark a significant hardening of the Tory policy under Mr Cameron who drew widespread criticism for a speech early in his leadership when he talked about showing more understanding to those youngsters falling into crime. He was derided for what became known as his "hug-a-hoodie" policy. Mr Grayling said he thought there was "risk aversion" among frontline officers who "are trapped by the system." Changes in leadership of policing will be central to the new Tory plans for law and order. He cites the example of Garry Newlove who was murdered by youths after he confronted them about vandalism outside his Cheshire home in 2007. Helen, his widow, last week held meetings with Mr Grayling to talk about the case. And Mr Grayling has also highlighted the cases where people defending their property or trying to report crimes have been arrested by police. In the interview he talked about how Sal Miah called 999 when he found two teenagers raiding his restaurant's cellar. But when officers arrived, they arrested the 35-year-old on suspicion of assault and battery. He was released with a police caution. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #2 *shudder* Please don't do that accent, Besoeker, it hurts my heart. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-04-05 21:16 |
| #1 Part of a just released UK survey: Question: "Are there too many immigrants in Britain ?" 12% said Yes 88% said ÚåÏ ÇáÃãä ÇáÚÇáãí |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-04-05 18:14 |