When Sir Robert Peel founded the modern police force nearly two centuries ago he set out ten principles of good policing. The very first stated that the key job of the police was to "prevent crime and disorder". It is far better to stop crime from happening in the first place than to catch a criminal afterwards. That is why I have put so much effort into crime prevention measures as part of my campaign to make our streets safe again.
- Target Hardening. Funded "target hardening" for the most vulnerable by providing new door locks to make them less vulnerable to burglary;
- Better street lighting. I have directed funding to improve street lighting in areas where stalking, pickpocketing and other crimes have been prevelent at night;
- Better CCTV. I have ensured that out dated, low resolution CCTV is being replaced with modern high definition cameras and monitoring systems;
- Supporting Community Safety Partnerships [CSPs]. I have radically overhauled and improved the funding system for the CSPs to ensure that they are better able to deter crime in our communities.
- Diversionary programmes. I have funded programmes that have a proven track record of diverting youngsters at risk of turning to crime.
- Supporting the Violence Reduction Network [VRN]. I have provided funding to the VRN and underwritten their staffing costs to ensure that they can retain skilled and experienced staff.
Photo shows myself with Hinckley CSP Chair inspecting the new CCTV scheme in Clarendon Park, Hinckley.
