thetorydiary: Law and order

Law and order

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Chris Grayling will strengthen legal rights of householders to defend their property and families from intruders

The case of Munir Hussain has shocked the nation this last week and brought fresh attention to the fears of law-abiding householders that the law appears to be on the intruders' side when they confront those intruders. Mr Hussain was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, after he beat one of the intruders with a cricket bat after he had broken into his home and threatened his family.

Melanchton on CentreRight last night argued that the householder had a right to do much more than chase an intruder away:

"Conviction rates for burglary are poor. The chances that the burglar would remain at liberty to terrorise Mr Hussein and his family in revenge for his fight-back must have been high. The chase and capture must thus be regarded as an integral part of the act of violent self-defence."

That issue of low conviction rates is the key thing. The public has lost confidence in the system and its ability/ willingness to apprehend and punish criminals. Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, will launch Where's the Justice in That? tomorrow; a Tory document that catalogues the huge jump in the number of cautions for serious offences. This capitulation is driving people like Mr Hussain to take the law into their own hands.

In an article for The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Grayling promises to give homeowners more protections under the law:

"There are two pieces of legislation that need to be looked at again. At the moment the law allows a defendant to use "reasonable force" to protect him or herself, their family or their property. Conservatives argue that the defence that the law offers a householder should be much clearer, and that prosecutions and convictions should only happen in cases where courts judge the actions involved to be "grossly disproportionate". A future Conservative government will look again at the current legal situation and will look to provide the right level of protection for householders. We will also put a stop to the situation where malicious complaints by troublemakers can put a law-abiding citizen into a police cell. We will change the police rule book so that they aren't allowed to arrest someone acting in good faith to prevent a crime or apprehend a criminal suspect and we will make sure that police have the freedom to apply common sense when they are faced with absurd allegations."

While I welcome Mr Grayling's words I worry about the reported decision to soften the party's prison building pledge. The Tory commitment to carry on increasing NHS spending will require even heavier cuts in justice and defence budgets. That is the wrong priority for a Conservative government.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 08:41 in Law and order, Tax and spending | Permalink | Comments (119)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Cameron at odds with Chief Medical Officer's advice on children drinking at home

The BBC reports that the Government's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Liam Donaldson, has warned that parents who allow their children to drink alcohol at home may actually be increasing the chances of drinking problems. "The more [children] get a taste for it, the more likely," Donaldson warns, "they are to be heavy drinking adults or binge drinkers later in childhood."

That is not David Cameron's view. This is what the Tory leader told BBC Radio 1 in August 2008:

"I think the idea of introducing your children to understand that drinking is something you can do socially and something you can do with a meal and something that is part of life, you know, I think that is the way to do it. some of the friends I had, the ones who had the biggest problems were the ones where actually they never were able to drink anything at home. whereas the ones who drink responsibly were the ones who were given a glass of wine or small glass of beer or shandy or something, just to get them to know, right this is alcohol, this is what is does, you have to be careful. I think that's the right way to do it, in the home."

Cameron's approach makes sense to me. As with the climate change scientists and the government's drug advisers, it is important that politicians - rather than 'experts' - make the final policy decisions.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 08:22 in Family and relationships, Law and order | Permalink | Comments (78)

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Scottish Tories reiterate opposition to blanket minimum pricing for alcohol

The Scottish Conservatives are today re-iterating their opposition to blanket minimum pricing for alcohol on the back of the opposition Labour group's decision finally to oppose the proposals on the issue being put forward by the SNP Government at Holyrood.

Murdo Fraser MSP, the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Tories, is suggesting that the Scottish Government's Alcohol Bill is therefore already dead in the water:

“The SNP's policy is probably illegal, penalises responsible drinkers and will cause immense damage to the Scotch whisky industry. Instead they must work with us and the other parties supporting measures on which we can all agree, like targeting tax increases on problem drinks such as alcopops and strong ciders."

Murdo Fraser explained his position on the issue in his speech in this recent debate in the Scottish Parliament. He backed the national party position as outlined by Chris Grayling at the party conference which involves targeting alcohol taxation on the drinks most associated with fuelling antisocial behaviour - rather than penalising everyone.

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 10:24 in Law and order, Scotland | Permalink | Comments (36)

Monday, November 02, 2009

Iain Duncan Smith recommends scrapping jail terms of a few weeks because they do nothing to reduce re-offending

Update: You can download the full report, Order in the Courts: Restoring Trust through local justice, from the CSJ website.

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Iain Duncan Smith, the former party leader and champion of the social justice agenda, will make a speech today in which he will say that jail terms of less than two months are "farcical" and should be replaced with tougher probation courses, according to the BBC.

His premise is that jail terms of a few weeks do nothing to reduce the risk of re-offending and his speech today will endorse a new report from the Centre for Social Justice:

"The report by the Centre for Social Justice, which is headed by Mr Duncan Smith, says courts should be given the power to quickly haul offenders into prison if they breach their probation terms. It adds that there should be a stronger focus on rehabilitation and better treatment programmes for drug addicts and alcoholics
"Research by the think tank suggests that reoffending costs the country £11bn each year. Mr Duncan Smith, who has been promised a social justice role in a future Tory government by leader David Cameron, will say very short sentences are "the primary cause of churn and fuel the chaos of overcrowding".

The preview in the Daily Mail adds that the report will call for greater use of "restorative justice", where offenders are required to meet their victims to discuss the impact of their crimes and make amends.

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 08:52 in Compassionate conservatism, Ex-leaders, Law and order | Permalink | Comments (46)

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Conservatives will use tax and fines to address alcohol-fuelled violence

Many ConservativeHome readers were unhappy at David Cameron's suggestion in the summer that "very cheap drink" was too widely available and that he would increase the price of super strength alcohol and alcopops.

Speaking to the Manchester Party Conference this morning Chris Grayling has put some flesh on the bones of that suggestion:

Higher prices on 'anti-social alcohol': "We will increase the price of a four pack of super strength lager by £1.33. We will more than double tax on super strength cider. And our planned increase on alcopops will raise the price of a large bottle by £1.50. These tax changes will not hit responsible drinkers. The ordinary pint in the pub will not be affected and there’ll be exemptions for some local traditional products. But we’ll call time on the drinks that fuel antisocial behaviour."
New powers for local communities to stop late night licences: "Then there are supermarkets which boost the sales of other products by selling alcohol below cost price. That also fuels Britain’s binge drinking culture. So we will ban them from doing so. We’ll tear up this Government’s lax licensing regime. Right now virtually anyone can get a licence to sell alcohol. We even have all night takeaways selling more drink to people as they stagger home from the pub. We will change that. Local councils will have the power to stop town centres being taken over by pubs, clubs and off-licences. We’ll give communities a right of veto over new licences in their area. There’ll also be tough new rules for existing licensed premises. Councils will be able to restrict opening hours."
Pubs and clubs will be made to pay for policing anti-social behaviour: "There’ll be strict penalties for pubs and off-licences that break the rules. Much bigger fines if they sell to under age drinkers. If they do it again, we’ll close them for a few days as a penalty. And if it still happens, we’ll strip them of their licence permanently. There’s also the huge cost of policing areas that are already dominated by pubs and clubs and off-licences. Under a Conservative Government late night problem premises will pay more for their licence. So we can pay more for policing in our town centres to tackle the blight of antisocial behaviour after closing time. I know some of those in the drinks industry will complain about the impact of these changes. But I think there are times when it’s right to put the interests of communities ahead of the interests of business."

On the whole these are sensible measures and will be greeted positively by the nation at large.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 11:18 in Law and order | Permalink | Comments (96)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

David Cameron responds to Pilkington tragedy: "Everything will be done differently by a Conservative government"

The story of the Pilkingtons is devastating. Please watch the video above and I defy you not to be both angry and moved. This is today's Daily Mail report:

"Police and council officials faced a barrage of criticism today after failing to act against a gang who drove a mother to kill herself and her disabled daughter... The inquest heard that yobs taunted Miss Pilkington and heaped abuse on her daughter, who had a mental age of four. They trampled the family's hedge, hurled stones and eggs at the windows, shoved dog excrement and fireworks through the letterbox, screamed obscenities and threatened Miss Pilkington's dyslexic son Anthony with a knife. Yet despite receiving 33 desperate 999 calls in ten years, police dismissed Miss Pilkington as 'over-reacting' and classed her as 'low priority'. Unable to bear the torment any more, she decided death was her only escape, and she killed herself and her daughter by setting fire to their car near their home in Barwell, Leicestershire, in October 2007."

On Sky TV earlier, David Cameron was asked to comment on the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter. This is what he said (transcript from CCHQ):

“This is an absolutely horrific case and clearly the police have got questions to answer and the council has questions to answer. But also we have had a decade of a Labour Government telling us about anti social behaviour legislation and instructions and orders to the police and it just isn’t working. We’ve got to get rid of the police paperwork, we’ve got to get them back on the streets, we’ve got to make them feel empowered to intervene and clear these people off the streets and make them accountable locally so there are consequences if they don’t deliver.”

Q: How important is anti social behaviour?
“It is the most important thing. If you go round our towns and cities people are complaining about anti social behaviour, low level crime and levels of violence. That needs to be dealt with by the police. The problem is that this Government has wrapped them up in paperwork, in red tape, in bureaucracy. They hardly spend any time on the streets, they are spending all their time at their desks filling in orders from the Home Office when they should be accountable locally. That paperwork should be torn up in order to empower them and to make them feel that they are meant be on the streets clearing these people off the streets. That’s what they would get from a Conservative government and they’re not getting it from Labour. We would do everything differently. You’ve got to start with families, we believe you’ve got to strengthen families, you’ve got to support families, you’ve got to back marriage including in the tax system, you’ve got to do more to deal with the problems of welfare, you’ve got to have better discipline in schools. This goes all the way from the family through to the school through to the welfare system. All of that needs to change, everything will be done differently by a Conservative government.”

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 11:12 in Compassionate conservatism, Family and relationships, Law and order | Permalink | Comments (74)

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Chris Grayling says Baroness Scotland has to resign

It has now been confirmed that Baroness Scotland, the attorney general, has been fined £5,000 for employing at illegal immigrant. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling has just released a statement saying that her position is now untenable:

"After this, we can’t see how Baroness Scotland can credibly stay in her job. She was the Minister who steered this law through the House of Lords and who insisted upon its stringent application. She has no excuse for breaking it. The fact that once again Gordon Brown is dithering over a serious issue affecting his government is yet another sign of the vacuum of leadership in Downing Street. He seems to hope that the problem will just go away."

Appearing earlier on GMTV, all Gordon Brown would say was:

"I will have to see the report, I will have to look at it, I will have to see what they actually say. The question is whether she knowingly did not look at the passport or the documents of the person that she was employing or whether she did do that but she did not keep a copy of the documents. We will have to find out what has actually happened, and I will have to wait for that report this morning ... she will want to answer the questions that are put to her. We will have to make decisions."

Sky News reports at 10.35am that Gordon Brown's spokesman has said that the Prime Minister's view is that "no further action is necessary".

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 10:24 in Immigration and asylum, Law and order | Permalink | Comments (48)

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Compassionate conservatism is getting stronger and deeper by the day

This is the fifth part of ConservativeHome's Mission Week. The final part - on defence and foreign policy - will come tomorrow. We have already highlighted (1) Patriotic renewal, (2) Key themes for David Cameron's Party Conference speech, (3) Representing the grassroots and (4) Championing new media.

For me the most important theme of David Cameron's leadership has been his determination to make our party a true party of social justice. If we are not in public life to help every member of our society we should not be in public life at all.

Our party has a great tradition of social reform but we have sometimes hid our light under a bushel and allowed Labour to claim a monopoly of the moral high ground. That is stupid politics. Many voters deserted us in 1997 because - although they, personally, had profited from the Thatcher-Major years - they felt too many people were being left behind. A winning conservatism, as Iain Duncan Smith says, will convince voters that we will be good for them but also their neighbour. The prize if we succeed is the complete realignment of British politics.

Ten themes seem important as we build a compassionate conservatism:

Basic reassurance: David Cameron has made it clear that the NHS will remain free-at-the-point-of-use. Conservatives are also prominent defenders of the basic state pension and David Willetts was ahead of Labour in saying that it needed to be reconnected to the rise in average earnings. Michael Gove has underlined his commitment to poorer families by suggesting higher funding for schools in very disadvantaged communities. As James Forsyth has noted, David Cameron has made social conservatism fashionable again by (among other things) respecting same-sex relationships.

Education reform. Michael Gove's Swedish supply-side revolution is likely to be the most radical idea in the next Conservative manifesto. Alongside reforms that would allow schools to choose to use different methods of examination system and to set teachers' pay and conditions it will cause big clashes with the teachers' unions. The one hole in the policy is the prohibition on new schools being able to make profits. There is speculation that this might change. My own view is that start-up schools that combine a real vision for teaching of British history with a strong disciplinary code will be particularly popular with parents.

Prison and welfare reform. While at Justice Nick Herbert set out some very interesting ideas on how to reduce reoffending. They included payment of prison governors by results. Jonathan Aitken in a report for the CSJ has recommended a range of measures to tackle the drug problem in prisons and to encourage more volunteer mentoring of prisoners. Theresa May and Lord Freud are now developing the tough requirements to seek work that were first announced by Chris Grayling.

The Shoestring manifesto for the poor. We all know that money is going to be tight for the next Conservative government but a chapter of ConservativeHome's Shoestring Manifesto was dedicated to policies that would help the poor and can be implemented immediately, with little or no cost. Those ideas included financial literacy education; action against loan sharks; divorce law reform; enactment of a Right-to-Move for council house tenants; a massive simplification of the system which delivers care to parents of disabled children; and protections for faith-based welfare groups to receive fair funding.

Support for marriage and the family. There are opponents of David Cameron's commitment to recognise marriage in the tax system but the vast majority of Tory members and the next generation of Conservative MPs are supportive (and rightly so). It would be very wrong to see Tory family policy only in terms of the marriage commitment. Probably more important is the commitment to invest in relationship education and to abolish the worsening couple penalty in the benefits system.

Continue reading "Compassionate conservatism is getting stronger and deeper by the day " »

Posted at 12:57 in Cameronism, Compassionate conservatism, Conservative strategy, Education, Ex-leaders, Family and relationships, Foreign affairs, Immigration and asylum, Law and order, Mission Week, Realignment, Tax and spending, The big picture, The Shoestring manifesto, Welfare reform | Permalink | Comments (61)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Why were only 13 people arrested at last night's football disturbance?

Jeremy Hunt MP has issued this statement in response to last night's violence at Upton Park between Millwall and West Ham fans:

"Identifying the culprits and banning them for life is only the first step. Wider questions need to be answered as to how the situation was allowed to get out of hand in the first place. The Sports Minister must take a lead in bringing together the football authorities and the police and report to Parliament at the earliest possible opportunity as to what counter-measures are being taken. As the bidding process for 2018 continues we must take action to assure the world that we are doing everything possible to ensure things like this won’t happen again."

Over on his West Ham blog, Iain Dale has discussed the violence and its consequences.

I'm always amazed by how few people are arrested at these riots. The police are saying 13 people were detained. Why wasn't it 130? As so often in our country today, the chances of the police arresting criminals is far too low.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 13:26 in Law and order | Permalink | Comments (48)

Saturday, August 22, 2009

William Hague issues a list of questions for Labour over release of Lockerbie bomber

Here they are verbatim:

Whether any note was taken of Lord Mandelson's meetings with Seif al-Islam, and whether that note will be made public?
Whether Lord Mandelson's discussed (a) commercial contracts for oil and gas or (b) Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi
Whether (a) Peter Mandelson (b) Saif al-Islam Gaddafi attended the signing of the Libya / UK prisoner transfer treaty on 17 November 2008?
Whether Gordon Brown discussed (a) commercial contracts for oil and gas or (b) Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi at his recent meeting with Colonel Gaddafi?
What was said in Gordon Brown's letter this week to Colonel Gaddafi?
Were there any other letters between Gordon Brown's and Colonel Gaddafi which refer to Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi?
Which Ministers were involved with the prisoner transfer treaty with Libya and which Ministers met with representatives of the Libyan Government?
Whether commercial contracts for oil and gas were discussed as part of the negotiating process for the Libya/UK prisoner transfer treaty?
Whether any oil or gas concessions were promised as part of the negotiating process for the Libya/UK prisoner transfer treaty?
Whether the Justice Secretary's reference to 'wider bilateral relations with Libya' contained in his submission to HOUSE OF LORDS / HOUSE OF COMMONS JOINT COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS, Prisoner Transfer Treaty with Libya, 13th Report of Session 2008-09 (31 March 2009) referred to commercial contracts for oil and gas?
Whether representations were (a) sought (b) received from relatives of the Lockerbie bombing during the drafting of the prisoner transfer treaty with Libya?
How many Libyan prisoners have been requested for transfer since the ratification of the prisoner transfer agreement signed in November 2008?

Posted at 17:18 in Foreign affairs, Law and order, War on terror | Permalink | Comments (29)

Friday, August 21, 2009

Cameron demands statement from Brown on release of Lockerbie bomber

"Dear Prime Minister,
The decision by the Scottish Justice Secretary to release Mr al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds has been widely condemned, including by President Obama.
As I said yesterday, I believe that the decision to release Megrahi was wrong. He was convicted of murdering 270 people, and I do not believe he deserved to be released on compassionate grounds, or returned to Libya.
The scenes of him receiving a rapturous welcome at Tripoli airport on his return will have distressed many people. I note that Colonel Gaddafi's son has now publicly thanked not just the Scottish authorities but the British Government for its stance, raising questions about the British Government's role.
You have not commented on the decision since it was announced yesterday. This morning your Foreign Secretary refused several requests to say what he thought of the Scottish Justice Secretary's decision.
The fact that the decision to release was taken by the Scottish Justice Secretary does not preclude you, as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from now expressing your opinion on a subject that is of great public concern, and which affects Britain's international reputation and our relations with our allies.
It is curious that while others have commented, Britain's own Prime Minister has not.
I hope you will now take the opportunity to do so.
We are entitled to know what you and your Ministers have said to the Libyan authorities on this matter, and to the Scottish Justice Secretary.
Above all, I believe that the public are entitled to know what you think of the decision to release Megrahi, and whether you consider it was right or wrong.
I hope you will now take the opportunity to make your own view clear.
David Cameron."

Congratulations to David Cameron for sending this letter. The Lockerbie bomber's release has damaged Britain's reputation as a stalwart in the war on terror. It is right that Britain's Prime Minister distances himself from the SNP's judgment.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 16:27 in Law and order, Scotland, War on terror | Permalink | Comments (73)

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

David Cameron promises to look at availability of "very cheap drink"

Joining police officers in Hull yesterday to learn more about drink-fuelled crime, the Tory leader promised "serious changes" to Britain's licensing laws and made this statement according to the BBC and the Pontefract and Castleford Express:

"We need to look at the unbelievable availability of very cheap drink, getting three litres of cider for £1.99, at all hours of day and night. We've got to do something about this and I'm exploring what we can do to deal with the drink that's fuelling so much of the crime in our country."

The Conservative-run Westminster council has successfully pursued voluntary agreements with local supermarkets to stop the stocking of cheap, super-strength alcoholic drinks. The Conservatives also want to give local residents more powers to stop through-the-night opening of pubs and clubs.

Iain Duncan Smith proposed a higher price for alcohol and a higher tax that could be used to pay for more treatments to addicts. Tory members rejected that idea in a ConHome poll despite evidence that the relative price of alcohol has declined markedly over recent years.

Dr Sarah Wollaston, the new Tory candidate for Totnes, identifies binge drinking as one of the top three issues she hopes to address as a Conservative MP. She favours a minimum price for alcohol.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 09:03 in Law and order, Localism | Permalink | Comments (147)

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Scottish Conservatives insist that Libyan bomber should be at "death's door" before release

Following unconfirmed reports that the Libyan found guilty of the Lockerbie bomb may be released on compassionate grounds, John Lamont MSP (pictured), the Scottish Conservatives' Justice spokesman, issued this statement:

“If Mr Megrahi is released without compelling medical evidence that he is gravely ill then it would be a catastrophic decision by Alex Salmond’s Government. Mr Megrahi was found guilty of murdering 270 people in the worst terrorist atrocity this country has ever seen. If Mr Salmond’s Government releases him he will have served only two weeks for every victim of the bombing. Alex Salmond must now prove publicly that Mr Megrahi is at death’s door or he should not be released. Mr Megrahi must not be given special treatment. Justice must be the same for everyone – he must not get any special deals. Mr Salmond would be wise to remember that there are many victims of this crime, many people who lost loved ones and many people who would feel cheated by Alex Salmond’s Government if Mr Megrahi was treated as a special case.”

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 20:15 in Law and order, Scotland, War on terror | Permalink | Comments (31)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Chris Grayling promises a “21st-century clip around the ear” for the "Nokia generation"

In a speech yesterday that also included all of the social responsibility themes that have characterised David Cameron's leadership of the Conservative Party, Chris Grayling promised to give the police the power to deliver a “21st-century clip around the ear” for the minority of young people who cause "systematic unrest".

"Today I want to float another option which would go right to the heart of what matters to a Nokia generation of young people. I’d like to see police given the power to confiscate temporarily a young troublemaker’s mobile phone. Removing their SIM card, with all their mobile numbers and text messages on it. For a fortnight or a month. Not permanently. But long enough to make a point.

And to give a strong reminder that there are immediate consequences for – for example - verbally abusing a local shopkeeper – and that the police aren’t afraid to take action if necessary.
The same principle could well be applied to some of the other things that are important to them. Like their bikes. Taking them away for a month would also be an irritation – but could also offer an additional benefit. In areas where there is a genuine gang culture, such a step could also give police an additional tool to disrupt gang activity and make it practically more difficult for teenage gangs from different areas to confront each other.
The name of the game has to be simplicity and speed. Not a response that takes months of complex bureaucracy – like getting an ASBO. Not a response that puts a teenage troublemaker before the courts for a minor offence. But a consequence that impacts on their lives and makes them think again. If we’re to deter potential troublemakers, the consequences they face have to be relevant to the lives they lead, and to be immediate. Otherwise why would they stop doing what they were doing."

Read the Shadow Home Secretary's full speech.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 08:33 in Law and order | Permalink | Comments (118)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Tobias Ellwood MP beaten "black and blue" by youths

This is what The Sun is reporting;

"Cops are hunting four yobs who repeatedly punched an MP in the head in a vicious attack in his seaside constituency. Superfit former Army captain Tobias Ellwood tried to stop the gang of youths throwing a ball around in Boscombe High Street, Dorset. But the trouble-makers turned on the Bournemouth East MP yesterday afternoon and lobbed the ball at him from point blank range at his face twice. The gang then got angry when he took photographs of them on his mobile phone as evidence and called police. The youths tried to steal his mobile phone. Witnesses then saw the gang of four take a number of violent swings at his head. Mr Ellwood went to hospital with minor head injuries and a swollen ear which has temporarily damaged his hearing."

Thank God Tobias is going to be okay after what must have been a dreadful experience. His bravery is admirable.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 12:07 in Law and order | Permalink | Comments (79)

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Fox attacks "absurd" ruling that Human Rights Act should apply to war zones

Although I'm a day late with this one (I blame the pace of events) I am glad to note that Dr Liam Fox has condemned yesterday's High Court ruling that the Human Rights Act should apply to British forces in war zones:

“The Government has a moral obligation to minimise the risks to our Armed Forces at all times as part of their duty of care. But it is nonsensical and absurd to try to apply the same legal considerations on the battlefield that exist in non-combat situations. To apply the Human Rights Act in a war zone flies in the face of common sense. Our troops and commanders have enough to worry about on the battlefield without worrying about where the next legal attack will come from.“

Perhaps, however, the best argument against this latest extension of the human rights culture was made in this letter to today's Times:

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 16:22 in Defence, Law and order | Permalink | Comments (29)

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Chris Grayling should be bold and replace "community support officers" with proper policemen

After outlining his desire for a "war on anti-social behaviour" last month, shadow home secretary Chris Grayling has taken up those themes in an interview for today's Yorkshire Post.

Mr Grayling reiterates his desire to introduce non-criminalising community penalties as well as short term curfews through grounding orders; and he also repeats his belief that more crimes should be subject to automatic prosecution rather than a caution.

But the line which strikes me as most significant is the active consideration he is giving to the abolition of so-called Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), which were created by the Government in 2002 but who don't have the power of arrest. He says:

“Doing way with PCSOs is something I’m looking at at the moment."

He goes on to add:

"I’m minded to say that decisions about their futures should be taken locally but it’s not something I’ve reached a settled view on yet."

I've always thought that PCSOs were a typical Labour gimmick which amounted to an attempt to provide policing on the cheap. But, of course, it's not proper policing due to the lack of powers invested in the officers.

Cameron Watt wrote this eloquent case for scrapping PCSOs on ConservativeHome back in 2007 and his argument that criminals simply do not fear PCSOs because of their inability to arrest them remains as true today.

So as he considers their future, I would urge Mr Grayling to be bold and back their abolition - and replacement with fully-fledged police officers - as a further sign of the seriousness with which he is taking tackling the blight of crime - petty, anti-social or otherwise - in communities across the country.

As with other policy areas, there is no reason why an incoming Conservative Government should automatically accept the structures bequeathed it by Labour.

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 07:18 in Law and order | Permalink | Comments (37)