Tough on Crime, Tough on the Causes of Crime: You having a laff Tony?

    

Mike O’Rourke, former Chairman of BUCF, is back for a Christmas weekend special…

On Wednesday night, I tuned into Crimewatch U.K thinking that I just might be of some help. Anyway, the show featured the murder of the Manchester schoolboy Jesse James. Jesse, was a 15 year old boy whose future was taken away prematurely when he was murdered on Manchester’s Moss Side Estate. The killers are sadly still at large and Jesse’s murder was only one of a number of shootings to have occurred in the area over the last few months. One thing is that this appalling, inhumane and totally needless murder indicates, and it goes to show that Labour has lost the fight against violent crime. In 1997, the Prime Minister went into the election on the message “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”. The statement was one of a number of promises the Prime Minister made and as we head towards the last few months of his Premiership, it is only fair we judge him.We are told by this government that crime has fallen under Labour. We are told that the streets are safer than before this government came into power. More crimes are reported, more crimes are solved and more criminals are being sent to prison. We are led to believe that violent crime is under control and is actually falling too.Then we have the reality: the fact that this government talks a good game but fails so miserably to protect the public. The Jesse James murder shows that the government is fast losing the battle against Britain’s gang culture. Whether it be Manchester, Birmingham or any number of cities up and down the U.K, small gangs are terrorising neighbourhoods day in, day out. This is because there not enough police officers on the beat to deal with the problem. We live in a society where common decency and manners seem to be going out of the window. At a time when we need more coppers on our streets, the government continues to obsess over ID cards. However, without a significant police presence in our cities there cannot be any chance that gang culture is beaten. So the common sense solution is to get more police- not more community support officers who can only give citizen arrests. No, train proper police officers.There is another story that touched me recently. You may have read in the newspapers of the murder of the Henley businessman Stephen Langford. What made his death all that more unacceptable was that it occured outside Henley Police Station- an unmanned station. The local M.P is none other than Boris Johnson and he instantly questioned both Thames Valley Police and government officials as to how on earth this could possibly have happened. Quite right too- Mr Langford’s death opened up the first murder investigation in Henley for 60 years.The truth is starkingly obvious. Under Labour violent crime has risen. In fact, let us be more accurate- violent crime has DOUBLED under this government. In particular, with the most serious offence- homicide (murder and manslaughter), the number of crimes that have been committed since 1997 has risen by a quarter. Yet meanwhile the Chancellor is busy freezing the Home Office budget.

But more, they need to be tough as to the causes of crime. In particular, the breakdown of the family is an important reason for people committing crime according to recent studies by leading psychologists. Young people do not simply “just get bored”- there are deeper reasons why people commit crime. Studies suggest that the majority of criminals that were sent to prison in 2005/06, were from broken/disfunctional families.

Drugs and solvent abuse is another factor for rising levels of criminal behaviour. This government hasn’t dealt with the problem this country faces with drugs abuse. Whether deemed soft or hard the message has to be made quite clear- drugs cause more problems than they solve. De-classification is not the answer. What we need is a more adaptable approach to drugs. Rehabilitation needs to be offered to all drug users and made accessible through the NHS. Drinking also needs to be addressed. According to the British crime survey of 2005-06, published on 20 July 2006, victims of a crime believed the offender or offenders to be under the influence of alcohol in 44 per cent of cases.

We also need better education. This government drones on about how clever we all now are and how the education system is better than it was in 1997. How come then that over a 1/4 of 16 year old’s leave school without being able to read or write? How can we possibly give expect to improve as a society if we allow such a thing to happen? If we educate better, then fewer youngsters will feel excluded from society. If we can help them into employment then crime will fall accordingly.

Above all we need to let our police forces police, not politicise them. Far too much talk has been heard from the lips of Ministers of the need to merge police forces, or how crime is falling, or how police detection rates are up under Labour. This is all absolute nonsense. The police will tell you they are being used as a political football. As Ricky Gervais would say “Is he having a laff?” I am afraid it is the criminals who are having the last laugh at Tony Blair’s failures. It is time that we let the police get on with their job and catch criminals. Instead of going for the cheap headline, lets go for the long lasting solution. And let us have no more Jesse James or Stephen Langford horror stories as we enter a New Year.

It is just for me to finally congratulate the fantastic job our emergency services do for us all. As we all tuck into out turkey this Christmas, let’s spare a thought for all of those working unsociable hours to protect us and care for us all. We all owe them a debt.