Kennedy unveils ‘liberal vision’ for tackling crime
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy today unveiled his party’s “liberal vision” for tackling crime.
Mr Kennedy promised a tough but effective approach with more police officers on the streets, more Community Support Officers, prison reform, and a crack down on anti-social behaviour.
Introducing his party’s Law and Order mini-manifesto, Mr Kennedy said: “This is a liberal vision which is tough, disciplined, rigorous but above all else its effective.”
Mr Kennedy criticised the Government’s slogan: “Tough on crime, tough in the causes of crime”. He told a press conference in London: “the reality is that this Government has been tough on rhetoric, heavy on legislation but weak on real solutions.”
Labour and the Conservatives, he said, were engaged in a “bidding wart of attrition” over crime statistics. In contrast, Mr Kennedy was concerned with the “real misery” that resulted from crime.
However, the Conservatives said the plans “are not tough” and showed the Liberal Democrats are “soft on crime.
Among the Liberal Democrat’s plans are pledges for 10,000 more police officers and 20,000 more community support officers. But, Mr Kennedy acknowledged that numbers themselves were not enough – action had to be taken to tackle bureaucracy so more officers could spend more time out on the streets.
He envisaged a role for technology to aid officers in their administration – for example with police using the voice recognition technology currently being used by healthcare professionals, to dictate reports.
The Liberal Democrats are offering a “minimum policing guarantee” with Chief Constables and police authorities agreeing with local authorities on how the policing element of the council tax would be spent.
The party is also proposing a new UK Border Force “to strengthen the fight against terrorism, drugs, organised crime, and people smuggling”.
Mr Kennedy said efforts were needed to tackle the root causes of anti-social behaviour as opposed to the current emphasis on exclusion and punishment.
But Conservative shadow Home Secretary David Davis said it was hard to believe the Lib Dems’ claim to be tough on crime when looking at their policies.
He added: “They want to scrap mandatory sentences for murderers and repeat rapists, send joy-riders go-karting and give all prisoners the right to vote.
“Policies like those are not tough and they will not solve Britain’s rising crime problem. Conservatives want to see real action, like 40,000 extra police officers on the street freed from paperwork and political correctness. The Lib Dems are soft on crime.”
