Posturing on the Police

Today, presumably off the top of his head, Boris Johnson announced that new draconian punishments would miraculously be added to the powers of police officers, judges and magistrates dealing with knife crime.

Diane Abbott, Labour's Shadow Home Secretary, declared: "This is just posturing on crime and Boris Johnson knows it."
 

Johnson supported Tory cuts to the police and has no plans to restore the frontline officers that successive Tory governments have axed. In his time as London Mayor,Johnson promised to recruit 'thousands of extra police' but, of course, never delivered on his promise.

The Tories aren't really putting 20,000 extra officers on the streets to tackle the knife crime that has become an epidemic during their time in government. Nor do they intend to do anything about the youth services they cut, or funding for drug prevention schemes. It goes without saying they will do nothing whatever about the spike in school exclusions. All these things - all these cuts and fiddling with figures - have contributed to rising crime.

Tinkering with police powers will not disguise a decade of Tory failure.

Repairing the damage

Lord Willy Bach, your Labour Police and Crime Commissioner, explains what cuts to police budgets really mean for Leicestershire.

Our MP claims the Tories are “the Party of Law and Order.” What a joke! Leicestershire has lost 550 police officers over recent years. Our Youth Services have been savaged. Now – surprise, surprise – just before a likely General Election, there is a promise of 20,000 new officers. Even if that promise is kept (and that’s a big if) it would still not get anywhere near the number lost to the cuts.

Meanwhile I have carefully and responsibly increased the number of police officers each year I have been in office. For this year, up to June 2020, the number is 107. By raising the police part of the Council Tax and making sensible use of Reserves, I have set about repairing the damage caused by almost a decade of Tory and Lib Dem austerity.

Of course the fall in police numbers affects the crime rate. Not only is there an increased population in Lutterworth and Broughton Astley, but new offences like Modern Slavery and People Trafficking demand specialist investigative skills.

It was unforgivable of the Tories to cut the police force to the level it did. A Labour Government will ensure we have the right number of officers to properly protect our communities.

Millions of pensioners betrayed by Theresa May

Jeremy Corbyn reacts to Theresa May's attack on older people in today's Tory manifesto.:

Millions of pensioners are betrayed by Theresa May's manifesto. She is hitting older people with a classic Nasty Party triple whammy. Scrapping the triple lock on pensions, removing the Winter Fuel Allowance and forcing those who need social care to pay for it with their homes.

To be fair though, Jeremy, at least these are policies she didn't steal from us.