Crime is unacceptable and must not be tolerated. It is usually not committed by accident but is the result of a deliberate decision to do wrong. Most crime is perpetrated by a relatively small group of habitual criminals.

We must understand and remove the causes of crime, catch criminals and ensure that they do not re-offend in the future. We must break the “revolving door” approach that lets career criminals commit further crime and impose additional suffering and costs on society.

The Peoples Party will:

• through dramatically improved education and encouragement to business give skills and create opportunities, ensure that crime is not seen as economically attractive

• provide improved mental care services to help those who vulnerable to criminal activity
• introduce new measures to deter and prevent crime, targeting those groups who are most likely to commit crime
• cut the prison population by doing everything possible to avoid having to send people to prison in the first place
• decriminalise drugs, treating use a medical and social problem
• fundamentally change the criminal justice system to ensure that career criminals are not released from prison to commit new crimes
• set up a rehabilitation scheme for those prisoners who promise not to re-offend to give them one chance to “go straight”
• create “a wipe the slate clean” option for first time offenders, avoiding giving people criminal records that can blight their future prospects
• establish networks of local police volunteers, akin to the lifeboat or retained fire services, to provide an immediate response to antisocial behaviour and criminal activity
• allow people to claim compensation to cover the costs of crime and incentivise police officers to keep claims as low as possible
• look for a significant longer term reduction in the cost of law and order as our policies cut crime and the need for “criminal justice industry”
• create a single Emergency Service, merging police, fire and ambulance services and encourage personnel to multi-task