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Under the new laws, you will only be allowed to protest without risk of arrest if you make no noise, make no impact and not annoy anyone, especially outside Parliament – where I’ve been pleased to meet so many protesters from teachers, taxi drivers, to women fighting for a fairer pension to those campaigning for the safe return of British citizens being unlawfully detained abroad. When I hear the chants of “Free Nazanin”, or whatever crowds chant to make their voice heard – whether I agree with the cause or not – I feel proud of democracy in action. Violent crime has more than doubled since 2015, including a 50 per cent increase in offences by County Lines gangs who prey on children to commit crimes such as drug trafficking, while the number of suspects charged is down by a quarter over the same period. Domestic violence has soared with a 90% increase in police recorded domestic abuse since 2015, while the rape conviction rate is at a record low. More than 12,000 officers and PCSOs have been lost from neighbourhood policing since 2015 and 99 per cent of the cuts to policing since 2010 have been from the frontline.
Mohammad Yasin, MP for Bedford and Kempston Policing and law and order issues are hitting the headlines every day at the moment with protests against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will introduce some of the most controversial measures this country has ever seen to impose controls on free expression and the right to protest.
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Last month, I invited police officers to go on a walk-about to visit areas impacted by crime in Bedford, particularly looking at areas where the impact of anti-social behaviour is a struggle for local businesses and individuals. Bedfordshire Police are doing great work trying to keep our communities safe in the face of cuts to officer numbers & preventive services, but it’s is clear that there are not enough officers to tackle the scale of the challenge. Although I’m pleased Bedfordshire has received funding for more officers, this funding will be raised by increasing council taxes and the measures still won’t replace the number of officers that were cut. I have long called for neighbourhood policing to be properly funded in our urban and rural areas. So, I’m delighted that the Police and Crime Commissioner candidate and former Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector David Michael MBE has pledged to prioritise community policing if he wins next month. Putting police back on the streets, a new Victims’ Law and an end to cuts to preventative services are long overdue.
