Over the past few weeks, the Coalition Government has shown how it will act to reduce levels of crime on our streets.
Firstly, the publication of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill has shown a determination to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour and drink-fuelled violence. In London, we have seen the benefits of having an elected person, namely the Mayor, responsible for tackling crime on our streets:
- Crime has reduced by 5.8% since 2008
- The murder rate is the lowest since 1978
- 10,000 knives have been removed from the streets
- Crime on public transport has reduced by 30%
- Three additional rape crisis centres have been opened in London
In London, The Mayor will become our Police and Crime Commissioner and will set the budget for the Metropolitan Police Force, issue the police and crime plan for London and hold the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to account for cutting crime and anti-social behaviour. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis will still be in charge of day-to-day operations.
The Bill also gives new powers to councils to tackle problem pubs and clubs. These powers are vital, I believe, in tackling some of the alcohol-related incidents that take up so much police time and resources.
Secondly, we have published a Green Paper that sets out some fundamental and significant changes to the way we deal with people that break the law. Public safety must always be the main priority and we will always protect people from serious and dangerous offenders. We also need to ensure effective punishment is in place to deter people from committing crimes. However, we do need to think again when, despite record investment in the prison system, we still have a situation that around half of offenders released from prison reoffend within a year.
There are some good examples of work being done within the prison system to address the high reoffending rates. Recently I visited Feltham Young Offenders Institution with Boris Johnson and Nick Herbert MP, Minister for Policing and Justice and was impressed to see the regime within their Heron Unit. This Unit runs intensive, one-to-one courses with young people who have demonstrated a commitment to changing their criminal pasts, helping them to build their skills and find work when they leave.
The average reoffending rate from the Heron Unit is just 6% compared to over 75% of other young people that leave prison. We will test out this and other approaches over the next two years and apply those that work across the whole system – paying by results for those that work.
In my role as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Policing and Justice, I look forward to helping to take forward this new and radical approach to tackling crime which I believe will give people more of a say in policing in their area, help direct people away from a life of crime and make our streets safer.
