Liberal Democrats launch new policing proposals (Birmingham Liberal Democrats)

Birmingham Liberal Democrats <info@birminghamlibdems.org.uk>

Liberal Democrats launch new policing proposals

August 11, 2004 12:48 PM

Liberal Democrats launch new policing proposals

Yesterday, both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party launched their new policing proposals. Commentators have contrasted the two approaches as very different, one suggesting that the Conservatives proposals is effectively Michael Howard tying to turn back the clock and the Liberal Democrats as providing a forward thinking solution to tacking crime.

The Liberal Democrats proposals are to better integrate national policing needs; improve the capacity of local forces to keep the peace and fight crime effectively in the communities they serve; make policing more accountable without compromising operational independence; and ensure that no matter where we live, be it inner city, suburb or rural England and Wales, we have the protection of a visible, responsive and successful police force. Michael Howard's Conservatives plans to build more prisons will simply not tackle crime, and will only add to the number of people who re-offend and to the UK's already record prison numbers.

The Liberal Democrat proposals include:

• A new National Police Agency to fight national and international crime - this will free local police forces to concentrate on local policing issues

• A new National Border Force to tackle cross-border terrorism, drug smuggling and organised immigration crime

• A new Financial Crime Directorate to detect and investigate complex financial crimes that often requires specialist knowledge and policing techniques

• A new 'minimum policing guarantee' to be agreed between local people and Chief Constables

• Cut the amount of police paperwork by using new technology like voice-recognition software

• Increasing the use of local custody suites and local courts to reduce the amount of time police officers have to spend travelling to distant locations.