Three knife crimes every day in Crawley’s policing area

On top of the general increase in knife crime I wrote about several weeks back, figures show that under the Conservatives Sussex Police received reports of 1,030 knife offences last year, equivalent to three knife crimes every day.

The increase in knife offences which has taken place under the Conservatives is alarming and clear evidence that they can no longer be considered a party which takes crime and anti-social behaviour seriously.

The Labour Party is committed to taking back our streets and has made it one of the party’s five missions if the party returns to office at the general election. To achieve this the party will:

• Guarantee town centre patrols by putting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs on the beat, funded by a new Police Efficiency programme on procurement and shared services based on the work of the Police Foundation.
• Crack down on anti-social behaviour through tough new Respect Orders with criminal sanctions for persistent anti-social behaviour.
• Fast-track rape cases through the courts and provide legal advocates for rape victims. Rape units in each police force, specialists in every 999 control room paid for by cutting police waste..
• Give teenagers the best start in life with new youth hubs, containing mental health staff and youth workers to tackle the crisis in mental health, give teenagers the support they need and prevent knife crime.
• Tackle shoplifting gangs by ending the £200 rule brought in by the Tories which stops shop thefts under £200 being investigated – even if the same gang comes back time and again.

In the meantime, we need local action to ensure that Sussex Police again focus on residents’ priorities rather than the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner’s hobby horses. There are Police and Crime Commissioner elections on 2nd May this year and polling shows that it’s a close race between the Conservative incumbent and Labour’s Paul Richards. This 2nd May, make sure to use your vote for Labour, and start the process of retaking our streets.