LABOUR’S PROSPECTIVE parliamentary candidate for Harlow, Laura McAlpine has expressed her concern at the growing number of violent crimes in Harlow.

Making general comments, Ms McAlpine said: “I am deeply saddened to learn that a man has been stabbed in Old Harlow. This kind of incident has a severely damaging impact on the way we and others view our town.

“I would urge anyone with information to go to the police immediately in order that those who were responsible are held to account for their actions.

“We know that crime generally and knife crime in particular are on the rise around the country and we must not let those who commit such crimes off the hook.

“However, we also know that sustained central government cuts to vital public services have led to a drastic reduction in the number of police on our streets. This absence creates space for those capable of reckless behaviour to act with impunity. This cannot be allowed to continue.”

Since the Tories were elected in 2010, Essex has lost 700 officers. Recently, a Harlow officer reported being the only available policeman in the whole town: one officer for a town of 82,000 people.

Laura McAlpine added; “Robert Halfon will no doubt condemn the ever-worsening levels of crime in Harlow, but as an advocate of the public service cuts his government has inflicted upon us – including to our police force – he must carry some of the responsibility for crimes such as this one in Old Harlow.

“Furthermore, government cuts have led to the depletion of youth services which support people and prevent them from falling into criminal behaviour. They have also led to probation service budgets being slashed and services being partially privatised meaning that when offenders are held to account, the court system does not have the capacity to adequately respond.

”It is simply not the case that we do not have the money to properly fund social services; it is a matter of what we value, and how we prioritise. Sadly this government is demonstrating that our individual safety on the streets of the UK is not a priority.

“I urge everyone to vote Labour on Thursday May 3 and to send a powerful signal to the government that we have had enough of the cuts and the devastating consequences they are having in our communities.”