Crime
Crime is unacceptable and must not be tolerated.
| The Peoples Party will: |
|---|
| through dramatically improved education and encouragement to business, give the skills and create the opportunities so that crime is not seen as an economically attractive option |
| provide improved mental care services to help those who are vulnerable to criminal activity |
| introduce new measures to deter and prevent crime, targeting those groups who are most likely to commit crime |
| require a massive improvement in police performance and clear up rates. Abysmal results should not be acceptable |
| completely remodel policing to reflect the changing nature of crime. Create a national police force within the BDF to work with intelligence services to target serious offences, organised crime and fraud, with local policing being much closer to the communities they serve |
| create a single Emergency Service, merging local police, fire and ambulance services and encourage personnel to multi-task, to provide a first responder service while preserving necessary specialisms |
| within the Emergency Service establish networks of local volunteers, akin to the lifeboat, coastguard and retained fire services, to provide an immediate response to reports of antisocial behaviour and criminal activity |
| introduce a zero tolerance approach to “minor” crime such as graffiti and bike theft |
| allow people to claim compensation if they are victims of crime and incentivise police officers to keep claims as low as possible |
| use new technology selectively and effectively to target criminal activity |
| cut the prison population by doing everything possible to avoid having to send people to prison in the first place |
| decriminalise drugs, treating use as a medical and social problem. People should not have to resort to crime to secure drugs |
| 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 prospects |
| look for a significant long term reduction in the cost of law and order as our policies cut crime and the need for the “criminal justice industry” |
| provide an accessible route for justice that enables ordinary people to bring civil actions without incurring massive costs |
Crime is overwhelmingly the result of a deliberate decision to do wrong. Most crime is perpetrated by a relatively small group of habitual criminals. Despite this, police forces often have an abysmal clear-up rate, allowing many criminals to continue without fear of being caught.
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” culture that lets career criminals commit further crime and impose additional suffering and costs on society.
We must appreciate that as crime evolves, law enforcement needs to move faster to tackle criminal activity. Online fraud accounts for an increasing proportion of crime, and virtually no resources are devoted to tackling and stopping the perpetrators. As with defence, preserving existing models and ways of working in the face of changing threats is a recipe for waste and ineffectiveness. The cancer of political correctness must be rooted out.