COMMUNITIES blighted by more than 20,000 incidents of anti-social behaviour every week as Labour group leader Cllr Chris Vince backs Labour’s pledge for a crackdown on community crime with new police hubs in every local area

Local Cllr Chris Vince is backing Labour’s call for action to tackle anti-social behaviour, as new analysis from the party has shown that a staggering 1.2 million incidents of nuisance are recorded in England and Wales every year – equating to over 20,000 incidents every single week.

In England and Wales the percentage of people who say they never see a police officer has almost doubled since the Conservatives came to power from 25% in April 2010 to March 2011 to 48% in April 2019 to March 2020. Meanwhile, the proportion of people agreeing that the local crime and ASB issues that matter are being dealt with has fallen from 61% in 2012 to just 52% in 2020.

Labour has accused the Conservatives of abandoning local communities such as in Harlow and showing no leadership on anti-social behaviour for a decade even while Freedom of Information Requests to local councils and police forces show big increases in antisocial behaviour reports during the pandemic, and Labour’s internal research finds it is one of the most common issues raised on the doorstep alongside the cost of living.

Labour is calling on the Government to halt plans for a Royal Yacht, which is being funded by taxpayers’ money, that the Royal Family do not want and would bring no advantage to the Navy, and to use the money saved to guarantee local Police Hubs in towns and communities across the country instead. That investment could start funding a new police hub in hundreds of local neighbourhoods next year.

Labour’s police hubs will bring together a Neighbourhood Prevention Team made up of police, community support officers, local authority staff and youth workers to tackle anti-social behaviour at source.

Cllr Vince said “Communities like ours in Little Parndon and Hare Street and across Harlow have been badly let down by the Conservatives, there are still less police on our streets and in our communities than there were 12 years ago and we’re seeing the result of over a decade in under policing. 

People I speak to recognise the difficult job that our police do but don’t have faith that if they report a crime anything will be done due to shortages of police officers and staff.  Things need to change.

“The last Labour administration introduced community safety officers who work with the police and council to keep communities safe despite Conservative cuts to policing.”