Dudley North MP Ian Austin welcomes drop but calls for bobbies to stay on the beat.

New figures today show crime has fallen across Britain in the last year.   This comes despite predictions over the last few months of a recession-linked crime wave.

Ian Austin MP said:

“This weeks drop in crime is good news and shows that our community has not been broken by the recession.

“This has not happened by accident.  It is because of the brilliant work of our neighbourhood police teams.  Police officers and community support officers (CSOs) in Dudley should be very proud of their work during these tough times.

“Getting more bobbies on the beat in our streets is my top priority.  That’s why I have supported Labour investment that has meant 16,000 more police officers and16,000 more CSOs on Britain’s streets.

“What I won’t stand for is cuts to frontline police officers and CSOs.  Conservative plans would mean 3 500 less officers on Britain’s streets.  I don’t think this is the right way to fight crime.

“Police officers also need the right tools to do the job.  DNA evidence puts criminals where they belong – in jail.   The cold facts are that in the last year 23 killers and rapists would have remained free to kill and rape again if we had adopted the Conservative proposals.  The Conservatives seem to care a lot about the human rights of suspected criminals.  I believe that the human rights of people to feel safe in their homes and communities deserve respect too.”