Ipswich Liberal Democrats

Lib Dems 5 steps to a safer Britain and a safer Ipswich

Liberal Democrats are taking the lead, proposing real action at a national level and acting to cut crime where we are in power locally.

Violent crime is rising, anti-social behaviour is still a serious problem, and our prisons are overflowing. Labour have talked tough but have failed to deliver despite 10 years in power.

The Tories are in disarray on crime. One day it's hug a hoodie; the next it's slap a hoodie. Who knows what the Tories stand for now? What we do know is that the last Tory government cut police numbers and let violent crime double.

Enough is enough. Tough talk doesn't tackle crime - we've learnt that from the last twenty years of Labour and Conservative failure. This campaign is about taking effective action to make our country safer.

We need more police, freed from the burden of bureaucracy, to take back our town centres, especially after dark. Instead of spending billions of pounds on compulsory ID cards for innocent, law-abiding citizens, that money should be spent on targeting criminals and tackling crime.

We need a prison system that works. Prisoners should work to pay compensation to their victims, and to cut reoffending. A life sentence should mean life.

We are serious about cutting crime. Together, we can make Britain safer for all of us.

1 More police on patrol

Don't waste billions on ID cards

Labour are already wasting £97,000 a day on their expensive, illiberal ID card scheme. We would scrap it and use the money to pay for more police officers.

The police spend too much time on paperwork when they could be patrolling the streets. Liberal Democrats support reducing this burden through IT systems, modern communications technology and civilian auxiliary staff, freeing up police officers to spend more time out on the front line.

2 Compulsory work and training in prison

to cut reoffending

Prisoners who do not take part in education or training are three times more likely to go back to crime - but two-thirds of offenders receive no training at all. Only one in five prisoners exceed the standards expected on an 11-year-old in writing, and only a third in maths.

Half of all male prisoners and two-thirds of female prisoners have no qualifications. Only one in eight prisoners work each day, and only one in ten enter employment when they're released.

We would treble the number of prisoners working and make education and training compulsory. We would expand drug and alcohol treatment programmes and use £1.5 billion earmarked for prison building to fund more secure/semi-secure mental health treatment.

3 Better compensation for victims

paid for by prison work

It takes an average of 39 weeks for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme to process each case - it's slow and inefficent. The maximum level of reward, £500,000, has fallen in real terms since 1996.

We would simplify the claims and appeals process to ensure all claims are resolved within 12 months, increase the awards in line with inflation, and replace the current tariffs with guidelines ranges so that awards can be tailored to each individual case.

We would cover the additional costs through a Victims' Compensation Fund which will be paid into by contributions from prisoners' earnings.

The unpaid work conducted as part of community sentences should be targeted at projects that improve the local environment, wherever possible requiring offenders to "put right" the damage they have caused.

4 Take back our town centres

Let communities close pubs and clubs that cause trouble

Too many people are frightened to enter their own town centres at night. We would make them safer by improving the licensing laws to give communities more power to close down premises that cause trouble.

Only 12 landlords a year on average since 1997 have been prosecuted for allowing drunken or riotous behaviour on their premises.

Local authorities should have more powers to take account of local circumstances and their local knowledge, instead of having to abide by centrally determined licensing policies - for example by considering availability of public transport when deciding on a licence application.

We would encourage councils to use planning rules to require seating in venues where "vertical drinking" causes problems.

5 Make sentences mean what they say

Life should mean life

The public have lost confidence and trust in the sentencing procedures of the criminal justice system.

The Liberal Democrat policy on sentencing is honest, clear and straightforward - sentences will do what they say on the tin. Non-custodial sentences will be beefed up to give a real alternative to jail.

More non-violent criminals, such as shoplifters, some fine defaulters and petty vandals, should receive a Public Service Sentence, requiring them to do tough community work as an alternative to jail. These sentences will reduce re-offending and give offenders skills for legitimate work.

For offenders sent to prison, we propose Fixed Term Sentences with the minimum and maximum term announced by the judge in open court. Offenders would be eligible for parole after the minimum term, and granted release on the say-so of a parole board. Very serious offenders would receive an indefinite Public Safety Sentence with a minimum term but no maximum, similar to the current "life" sentence.

The most serious offenders should serve Life Custody, where the judge considered the offender should never be released. This currently applies to only a handful of inmates - but calling a short sentence "life" is just spin. The word should only be used for whole-life sentences.

You will see locally Liberal Democrats approach to cutting crime rolling out.