The 360: Who can voters trust to keep us safe?
“The 360” shows you diverse perspectives on the day’s top stories.
What’s happening?
Brexit and the NHS have dominated the upcoming general election but one issue that still sits firmly in the minds of voters is crime.
According to a recent IPSOS Mori Issues Index, crime is the third most decisive issue when it comes to why people vote.
There has been an 80% increase in knife crime offences in the past five years across England and Wales - knife crime rose by 7% in the year ending June 2019, marking a record high.
The issue has been particularly prominent in London, which last year saw its highest number of killings for a decade. The most recent terror attack near London Bridge did little to dispel those concerns.
Why there’s debate
All parties think they have the answer to tackling crime – particularly violent crime. However, there are two very different trains of thought that separate the big parties in the election campaign.
The Tories, as is normal, are talking tough, vowing to make it easier for police officers to target known knife carriers and speeding up knife possession cases, meaning offenders will be sent to court within a week. They have also previously extended the use of stop and search powers and Boris Johnson has promised 20,000 more police officers on the streets - though many have pointed out that the Conservatives have cut police numbers by the same amount in recent years.
Both Labour and the Lib Dems believe a rise in violent crime is linked to austerity. Labour says the answer to tackling violent crime is not simply to get “tough” with offenders, but to reinvest in youth centres, giving young people a sense of “belonging”, attacking what they believe is the root cause of crime before it manifests.
The Lib Dems believe a “public health approach” – in the same way the issue is treated in Scotland - is needed to tackle violence, and they have vowed to protect local youth services from future cuts. The SNP point to a drop in homicides in Scotland as evidence that this method works, although figures also show that knife crime deaths remain high.
The extension of stop and search has been criticised by Labour, who say it harms community relations. The Tories say Labour’s opposition is down to being “ideologically opposed to giving the police more powers”.
Last week’s terror attack highlighted an additional concern - that of convicted terrorists being released having served half their sentence. Both Johnson and Corbyn have tried to make political gain out of a highly sensitive issue and it could yet have a bearing on how some people vote.
What’s next?
The result of the election could lead to two very different approaches to tackling violent crime. If the Conservatives win, a close eye will no doubt be kept on crime data following a promise of more police officers and a tougher stance.
Londoners will next May go to the polls and have their say on Labour mayor Sadiq Khan, who is funding a Violent Crime Taskforce and creating a £45m Young Londoners Fund that provides positive activities for young people as an alternative to crime.
The success - or failure - of the approach of the winning party will then be determined in part by crime statistics , but also by the frequency of high-profile attacks, such as last week’s, which for some can do more than anything else to chip away at how safe voters feel.
Perspectives
Populist Tory policies do not address the problems in the criminal justice system.
“The purpose is purely punitive; red meat tossed on the Conservative party’s buffet table for the salivating hang-’em-and-flog-’em brigade, with a beady eye on a nakedly populist election campaign and an increasingly authoritarian tabloid press. It’s cynicism bordering on nihilism; shamelessly undermining public confidence in sentencing by spreading misinformation about how the justice system actually works.” – The Secret Barrister, The Guardian
Being tough on crime does not make up for the cuts.
“Any government that attempts to tackle crime, violent or otherwise, without empowering probation and drugs outreach services and fails to provide adequate secure health units and fund ex-offender employment programmes is doomed to reinforce the offending cycle.” – Victoria Kate Johns, The Independent
Tories get tough in Queen’s Speech.
“Serious violent and sex offenders will have to serve at least two-thirds of their sentences instead of being entitled to automatic release halfway through their terms. Foreign criminals who breach their deportation orders will also face much longer sentences, up from weeks to years, while murderers who refuse to reveal where their victims are buried will also be kept behind bars for longer. This should all be welcomed. As the robust new Home Secretary Priti Patel put it yesterday, ‘We have been a soft touch for too long.’” – Leo McKinstry, The Sun
Bold social measures from Labour would do more to cut crime.
“In reducing violent crime, I believe that a Corbyn-led Labour government is capable of delivering positive change where it’s most important. Study after study has shown that the availability of stable employment, reduced income inequality and post-imprisonment neighbourhood affluence are three of the most significant factors in reducing the frequency of violent offences. However, these economic measures must come alongside a commitment to overhauling the criminal justice system, root and branch.” – Ash Sarkar, The Guardian
Labour needs to become the party of law and order.
“Leaving law and order to be a Tory issue once again is politically unwise and morally indefensible for the party that says it stands for the many. [Tony] Blair understood in the nineties something the current Labour leadership has been unable or unwilling to grasp; that knife crime disproportionately affects traditional Labour voters and at its core should be a signature party issue. It should be considered a moral obligation for Labour – as the party which promises to stand up for the working class and ethnic minorities – to be the champions of law and order.” – Stefan Boscia, The Spectator
Youth crime should be a public health issue.
“We would also make local youth services a statutory service, protecting them from future cuts. We would take a public health approach to tackling youth violence, modelled on the successful approach taken by Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit. This would involve identifying risk factors and treating them early on, with youth workers, police, teachers, health professionals and social services all working closely together to prevent young people falling into gangs and violence.” – Lib Dem knife crime policy
Knife crime in Scotland plummeted after it was treated as a public health issue.
“Much like the police, health and education, the Scottish youth justice system has bought into the public health model and is benefiting from it. A move away from short custodial sentences means the number of young people in custody is less than half what it was 10 years ago. That means the approach for those inside can be more comprehensive. There is not a single young person who can’t be reached by building positive relationships.” – Sarah Jones, The Guardian
Knife crime deaths remain high in Scotland despite a drop in homicides.
“Every single life lost is a tragedy so we can never become complacent. We must continue to tackle the root causes of violence relentlessly. Over more than a decade we have seen a substantial decrease in violence. One of the clearest measures of this is the number of homicides in Scotland. These have decreased from a peak in 2004/5 of 137 lives lost to 59 in 2017/18. That’s the joint-lowest figure since 1976. However, in more than half of those deaths a knife was the main method of killing.” Niven Rennie, Police Scotland
Stop and search harms community relations and Labour would not extend it.
Evidence-based stop and search will always be a useful tool for police officers… but random stop and search is a tried and tested method for exacerbating community relations. The Labour party’s not saying we’re against evidence-based stop and search. What we’re saying, what history tells us, is random stop and search is not a way to build community relations and in the end you can only police with community consent.” Diane Abbott, shadow Home Secretary, BBC Radio 4
Boris Johnson is “ignoring evidence” by extending prison places.
“At present ‘overcrowding’ in prisons is assessed by the prison service based on how many prisoners can be crammed into the available cells. Perhaps we should think about describing prisons as being overcrowded if, among other things, there are not enough meaningful education or work places for the prisoners being held in them.” HM chief inspector Peter Clarke
Read more 360s
Who can you trust to take care of the NHS?
How to stop Britain’s knife crime epidemic
Should British ISIS fighters be allowed to return home?
Top pic: Getty
