The government has been "weak" on tackling crime, Charles Kennedy has said.

Detailing Liberal Democrat plans to tackle the "blight" of anti-social behaviour, the party leader said Tony Blair had failed to match his rhetoric with effective plans.

The prime minister famously pledged that Labour would be "tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime".

But Kennedy said that "30 government bills creating about 1,000 new crimes, hundreds of initiatives and thousands of targets" had failed to "make good on the soundbite".

He said that "the reality is that this government has been tough on rhetoric, heavy on legislation, but weak on real solutions".

"In Britain today there are too many victims, too many crimes that are unsolved or not even pursued," he said.

"In too many places, community life is blighted by a minority whose behaviour requires a tough response.

"People have a right to feel safe and secure in their homes, in their streets and to have their property respected."

Anti-social behaviour

Flagship government measures such as anti-social behaviour orders were just pushing problems behind closed doors, Kennedy warned.

Lib Dem plans include scrapping identity cards to pay for extra police officers, and dealing with drink-fuelled violence by cracking down on licensees who serve people when drunk.

And community work would be emphasised as an alternative to prison for non-violent offenders.

Instead of ASBOs, the party is backing a switch to "acceptable behaviour contracts".

"Liberal Democrats supported anti-social behaviour orders as a stop gap measure, but the emphasis on exclusion and punishment just pushes problems behind closed doors, or shunts them from one community to another," Kennedy said.

"Tough acceptable behaviour contracts, as pioneered in Liberal Democrat-run Islington, are designed to prevent such behaviour rather than waiting until communities are terrorised."

Go-karting

Responding to the announcements for the Conservatives, David Davis said the Lib Dems were soft on crime.

"The Lib Dems claim to be tough on crime but when you see their policies it is hard to believe," said the shadow home secretary.

"They want to scrap mandatory sentences for murderers and repeat rapists, send joy-riders go-karting and give all prisoners the right to vote.

"Policies like those are not tough and they will not solve Britain’s rising crime problem.

"Conservatives want to see real action, like 40,000 extra police officers on the street freed from paperwork and political correctness."