WITH a staggering 68 per cent increase in robbery and 45 per cent increase in burglary, Waltham Forest has seen the largest increase in these crimes of any London borough.
The simple fact is that recorded crime fell every year from 1992 to 1997 and it has been rising every year since.
The reason it fell was that the last Conservative Government sent a very simple message to criminals. Commit crime and you will go to jail.
The Labour Government with its special early release schemes and its far more lenient approach to sentencing has sent precisely the opposite message and, surprise surprise, crime is rising again.
Crime doubled between 1945 and 1960, doubled again between 1960 and 1980 and again between 1980 and 1992, yet the average sentence served by a convicted robber has fallen year on year. A coincidence? I doubt it.
If David Blunkett and Tony Blair want to crack down on crime, they need to face up to the fact that crime is now a valid career choice for many people because they either don't get caught or they get such ludicrously light sentences when they do.
Until they have the guts to use prison as a genuine deterrent, it will stay that way.
JOHN JC MOSS,
Chairman, Walthamstow Conservatives
July 18, 2002 12:30
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article