Shadow justice secretary says the PM has stolen and watered down Labour policy ahead of the PM’s speech
Good morning. Both main parties believe that anti-social behaviour will be a key issue at the election and this morning, at a PM Connect event, Rishi Sunak will formally announce an anti-social behaviour action plan. It has been well trailed over the weekend and No 10 has now published the details. Here is an extract.
Under the plan, 16 areas in England and Wales will be funded to support either new ‘hotspot’ police and enforcement patrols in areas with the highest rates of anti-social behaviour, or trial a new ‘Immediate Justice’ scheme to deliver swift and visible punishments. A select few areas will trial both interventions, and following these initial trailblazers, both schemes will be rolled out across England and Wales from 2024.
The Conservatives have let antisocial behaviour make people’s lives a misery by slashing neighbourhood police and letting offenders get away without punishment. They have been content to oversee crumbling frontline services meaning these crimes are now plaguing communities, blighting town centres and leaving people feeling unsafe.
Under 13 years of Conservative government, community sentences have plummeted by two-thirds. And now they have finally realised how angry local people are, so once again following where Labour has led by trying to copy our plan on tough community payback.
