Labour candidate makes pledge on crime and community safety
Crime / Wed 18th Oct 2023 at 09:51am
THE prospective parliamentary candidate for Harlow has issued a statement on crime in the town.
Chris Vince said: “Harlow is a brilliant town full of wonderful people and for me the best thing about it is the immense amount of community spirit. We saw this during the pandemic, but also since then, during the cost of living crisis, where community groups and individuals have helped support one another through difficult times. But it’s not just during a major crisis, this spirit is there in abundance week after week as our fantastic community groups and individuals continue to support their community in a dazzling variety of ways.
As someone who chose to move to Harlow with my wife I would put myself in the 70% of people who consider themselves satisfied with life in our town, in fact more than that I am incredibly happy here, even when Harlow Town don’t get 3 points on a Saturday (although we did on Tuesday)!
However, it would be wrong not to ignore some of the issues that the residents survey does throw up and how we need to tackle them. More than half of those consulted, a number higher than the national average, do not feel safe walking around Harlow at night and I suspect this won’t come as a surprise to anyone.
That’s why one of my key priorities as your MP will be to focus on keeping our community safe and I am delighted that Labour has not only committed to increasing policing numbers by over 13,000, we will use counter-terror style tactics to get repeat serious offenders off the streets and keep women safe and stand with our shopworkers, and introduce a new law and tougher sentences to end violence against shopworkers.
For far too long there has been a lack of police visibility in our communities due to cuts by this conservative government. Police numbers only recently began returning to where they were 13 years ago, but there are still less officers as a percentage of population, and the invaluable knowledge and experience of the 1000’s of officers shed over the past 13 years is lost for ever.
“Last week at Labour conference we showed we take your security seriously and that Labour is the party which will be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime once more”.
Cp
2023-10-18 10:04:41
"Take repeat serious offenders off the streets and keep women safe", but where will these offenders be kept? We have only just learnt about rapists,burglars etc.. being released early from prisons due to being full.
Pedro
2023-10-18 11:29:33
Remember it was Labour who actively stopped deportation flights of dangerous rapists and drug dealers some who went on to reoffend, don't believe for one moment our streets will be safer under a labour government
gary roberts
2023-10-18 12:16:36
"Police numbers only recently began returning to where they were 13 years ago" As Cllr. Vince is a prospective candidate for Harlow I would ask him where was this statement of fiction found. I would also suggest Cllr. Vince talk to the officers on the ground to find the correct number and not believe the nonsense from Westminster. To really improve the areas in Harlow a return to neighbourhood policing is a policy he should be addressing. Will he or is it just rhetoric that leads to perdition.
Staff Reporter
2023-10-18 12:59:29
Police Numbers (Officers) in Essex: 2003: 3007 2007: 3341 2010: 3606 2014: 3196 2017: 2819 2020: 3298 2021: 3415
COLM ROSS
2023-10-18 14:25:18
how typical not to mention poverty?.... Poverty and uneducated = Alcohol and Drug Abuse = Street Crime. Obviously Drug prohibition does not work so we desperately need a change from the political waffle and lies.
Seamus
2023-10-18 15:22:09
How can one person tell so many porkies? There never was a poll that saw 70% of Harlow residents reply they were satisfied with things in harlow. We have been shouting at BOTH main parties over the years that London overspill is killing this turn and filling Harlow with the criminals that London doesn't want. As to 13,000 extra officers, how many of those will be in Harlow, no guff, we want numbers so how many? The prisons haven't got enough spaces now for sexual and violent criminals so how will "counter terrorism" style tactics result in more in jail? Is it true Labour is going to bring in a law that would see someone imprisoned for misgendering another. Yes I'm angry, I'm anfry that Charlatan's from both of the main parties seem once again to be offering the residents of Harlow, mere verbal platitude baubles when all they offer the people of Harlow, contempt.
Mark Gough
2023-10-19 01:07:24
So let me get this straight Chris. You, a Labour candidate, in a Labour Party led by Kier Starmer - a man who got a knighthood for being the Head of the Crown Presecution Service who helped Bliar bring in Early Release for all prisoners - is actually asking for people to trust Labour on Crime!!! What a total crock!!! Mark Gough - Reform UK
Nostradamus
2023-10-19 08:07:11
Whilst recruiting more police and let's hope CSOs it doesn't address the issues, as Tony Blair? pointed out, we need to be tough on the causes of crime eg poverty, poor housing, a poor education system, a failure to have good youth clubs and provision, the loss of all the holiday play schemes, the cutting of Sure Start. Crime is a social problem: ramping up policing is a holding operation not a solution.
Mark Gough
2023-10-19 14:30:07
The other issue Chris fails to mention is the retention of Police Officers in Essex. We have a major issue with keeping experience in Essex because as soon as they complete their training they move to the Met for more money and the London weighting. Unless something is done about that our Police numbers will continue to be an issue. Mark Gough - Reform UK
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