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Tough talk, soft action
• THE MP for Islington South frequently sends out propaganda claiming “Lib Dems repeatedly block Labour’s measures for tougher penalties and punishments for offenders”. Where is the evidence?
According to the Office of National Statistics, the biggest culprits when it comes to being “soft on crime” are the Labour government. Three in four criminals found with firearms escape prison even though the number has almost doubled in four years. Despite the government’s continued promises to take action against the growing problem of gun crime in Britain, penalties are getting softer, custody rates are falling and more criminals are walking away from court.
The Labour government’s tough stance on crime is also revealed as more of a sham when related directly to knife crime. Despite tough rhetoric, just one person caught carrying a blade last year was handed the new maximum four years behind bars.
More than half of the nearly 4,000 offenders were sent to prison for less than three months.
More alarming was the fact that five in six people caught with a knife avoided prison altogether.
Even more worrying was that these sentences were handed down during the £5million, high-profile Tackling Knives Action Programme, where the sole aim was to crack down on offenders nationwide. It seems like a total waste of taxpayers’ money now.
Just over a third of offences involving weapons were punished with a mere caution, meaning the offender has no criminal record. A total of 1,333 related crimes involving knives and other weapons resulted in paltry fines ranging from £5 to £157.
In relation to Lib Dem-run Islington Council, the Home Secretary has said on the record it is a model example of implementing measures to cut crime.
Is this what the government calls taking a tough stance? I call it same old New Labour, the masters of dirty tricks and backtracking on promises.
Angelo Weekes
N1
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