During my time as MP for Halton I have always had a good relationship with our local Police. They have a difficult and demanding job which increasingly they have had to do with diminishing resources. They do a great job on our behalf but they are being severely stretched.
I’m from Halton and live here, I know how strong our community is but we also face a number of challenges in terms of crime. I regularly have local people tell me that they want to see more police officers on our streets.
On Theresa May’s watch, police numbers have been cut by 20,000. Labour’s approach to policing crime will be different.
Labour will support the police in the performance of their duties. We will provide officers, police community support officers and civilian staff with the equipment and people they need to provide effective policing services, including from the growing threat of cybercrime.
We will work with them to ensure that our communities are safer for all of us.
Labour will champion community policing policies and incentivise good policing practice, working with Police and Crime Commissioners throughout the country on strategies to prevent crime. Labour will recruit 10,000 more police officers to work on community beats, equivalent to at least one more for every neighbourhood in the country.
I get contacted by victims of crime who do not feel they have received the support they need. I want to see that appropriate support is provided to victims of crime and legislation introduced for minimum standard entitlements to service from criminal justice.
I want to put on record my thanks and appreciation to the Police and the other emergency services for the work they do on our behalf.
Derek Twigg