Thank you to everyone who has contacting me about tackling crime and antisocial behaviour.
I know the police already use reports of antisocial behaviour in Thanet to develop ‘grip zones’ that receive additional resources. For example, I have been in contact with Kent Police about ongoing issues with anti-social behaviour and criminal activity on Northdown Road in Margate, which has resulted in significant and targeted action being taken over the past year, leading to a reduction in criminal activity in the area.
I continue to raise residents’ concerns with Thanet’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Executive Committee, and I am speaking with police, the council, and local services to deliver long-term solutions, so if there is a specific place in your community that continues to be blighted by crime, please do let me know and I will happily raise it with the police.
I also want to see more action from national government to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, and I know this is a big priority for the Home Secretary. Labour famously delivered a policy known as ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’ when we were last in government, and I am pleased to see us returning to that approach now that we are back in government.
Under the last government the Conservatives cut funding for the police and the justice system, taking 20,000 police officers off our streets, while at the same time slashing youth support services. This toxic combination has led to a wave of crime and antisocial behaviour that urgently needs to be tackled.
Our work to tackle this problem starts with a new youth strategy due to be published in the coming months, that will deliver better co-ordinated youth services to tackle young offending and keep kids out of trouble. I am pleased to see that over £85 million has already been allocated to expand and improve youth facilities. This includes £26 million for the Better Youth Spaces programme, which enables youth clubs to purchase new equipment and undertake much-needed renovations, and a further £100 million to support young people between 2024 and 2028. I am also campaigning locally for youth services at Pie Factory Music in Ramsgate to be saved from closure by Kent County Council, which I believe is the wrong choice in an area where we need more support for young people, not less.
However, I also believe that we need to take a much tougher approach with those selfish and disruptive individuals who blight our street corners and town centres with crime and antisocial behaviour. For too long, our streets in Thanet have been gripped by crimes like theft and shoplifting and the dangerous and intimidating use of E-scooters and off-road bikes by local gangs. Nobody, including other young people, should be left feeling intimidated and unsafe in their town centres, local parks, and neighbourhoods.
I will never accept the approach taken by the last government that crimes like these are low-level or petty and should be left unaddressed. That is why I welcome the Government’s £1 billion increase in police funding, which will help to put 3,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers in post within the next 12 months. By 2029, the Government aims to put 13,000 more officers into communities, an increase of more than 50%.
In addition to that, I am supporting the government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which introduces tough new measures to crack down on anti-social behaviour and support the victims of these crimes. I particularly welcome the bill’s provision that bike and quad bike gangs will see their vehicles crushed and be hit with tougher on-the-spot fines.
New ‘Respect Orders’ will also give the police and local councils powers to ban persistent offenders from town centres or from drinking in public spots such as high streets and local parks, with criminals also required to undertake positive rehabilitation, such as attending drug or alcohol treatment services, or an anger management course. Those who fail to comply with Respect Orders will be committing a criminal offence and can be immediately arrested.
Please be assured that I will continue to support efforts to tackle the crime and antisocial behaviour that is blighting our communities.