Angela Watkinson

Conservative Party | Upminster

Put the law back on the side of local people across Havering

2 February 2010

Angela Watkinson MP for Upminster this week strongly endorsed radical and bold new plans – set out in the Conservatives' draft election manifesto – to tackle crime and to restore confidence in Britain's 'broken' criminal justice system.

Their importance is underlined by new analysis revealing that there were 3135 violent attacks on people across Havering in the last year, a rise of 18% per cent in the last decade. Under the manifesto plans, a Conservative government would:

•Give Havering's citizens greater protection if they have to defend themselves against intruders in their homes, or if they stop a crime being committed in the street.
•Create fifteen new rape crisis centres across the country, and give all existing rape crisis centres stable, long-term funding.
•Grant Havering Council new powers to fight booze-fuelled antisocial behaviour in the Town Centres, and stop supermarkets selling alcohol at below cost-price which is destroying law-abiding local pubs and fuelling low-level crime.

Give the Mayor of London stronger powers to set priorities for local policing
•Publish detailed street-by-street crime statistics online every month, in an open and standardised format, so people know the real level of crime in their neighbourhood.
•Make it clear that anyone caught carrying a knife in a public place can expect to be prosecuted and sent to prison.

Angela said:
"Labour have launched endless initiatives and top-down schemes which have made little difference. Their broken promises have undermined people's trust. We can't go on with the police filling in forms instead of fighting crime.

"Our hard-working local police officers deserve the highest praise. But many people across Upminster are hugely frustrated with our criminal justice system. They feel that it's just not on their side anymore. These major Conservative proposals will help put the law back on the side of local people in Havering and give our police the full support they so richly deserve."