Davis sets out law and order vision

Shadow home secretary David Davis has set out a series of law and order policies at the Conservative conference in Blackpool.

Among a raft of initiatives intended to appeal to core party voters, Davis said it was "time to bring zero tolerance policing to the streets of Britain".

"Under a Conservative government when criminals are caught, they won't get a slap on the wrist," he said.

"They won't get a glorified parking ticket. They'll get the punishment that fits the crime."

Davis said the party would scrap the government's ID card scheme, an "expensive white elephant", and would "put some of the early savings into extra prison places".

And he pledged to abolish the government's "reckless" early release scheme, under which some 25,000 prisoners will be freed this year to ease prison overcrowding.

"That's the way to protect the public," he said.

Davis also said that immigration would be a "key issue" for the party, promising to set an annual limit on the number of economic migrants coming to Britain.

He criticised the prime minister's proposed border service, saying he hoped to fool people into thinking it was the same as the Tory proposal for a border police force.

"When Gordon talks about a border service, he's left out one rather key element - the police," he said.

"His new border force is that same people with the same powers. The only real change? A nice new uniform."

He said the Conservatives would unite the existing seven border organisations into one, integrated force with powers to stop, search, detain and prosecute, to gather intelligence and to seize illegal goods.

And Davis said the party was committed to the fight against terrorism, and stood for a "hard-nosed defence of freedom".

"A Conservative government won't rest until we've won this struggle," he said.