'Crime'

There is nothing more frightening than crime - and the fear of crime.

All of us will have felt that prickle of anxiety when walking down a poorly lit street, or when passing a gang of unruly youths loitering on a street corner. There is the shock of the sickening, sinking realisation when burglars have invaded the sanctuary and security of our homes, and taken our valuables.

But too often fear of crime is much greater than the chance of it happening. Fear of crime is fanned by speculation, horrific stories, big headlines. Every crime is one too many, but the statistics on crime tell a different story from the media.

Since Labour came to power in 1997, overall crime has decreased by 28%, burglaries have reduced by 41%, violence is down by 26%, and vehicle thefts have reduced by 34%.
These are dramatic reductions, and demonstrate the real success of Labour's tough stance on crime - crime and criminals simply will not be tolerated.

So, what has Labour done to make our communities safer places to live and work?

Record numbers of police officers have been recruited. There are now nearly 132,000 police officers on the beat nationwide, the highest number since 1976. In South Tyneside it means more than sixty more officers, with a named police officer in every ward, on the beat.
Government campaigns to reduce car crime have also been very successful, with car thefts reducing by 17% in the past year.

However, now is not the time to be complacent - complacency gives the criminal or petty thief his opportunity. These reductions in crimes committed are excellent, but there is always more to be done - so no one lives in fear of the yob on the street corner, nor the conman at the door.
I want South Shields to be the sort of place where pensioners can feel safe walking the streets after dark, where we can leave our homes or cars without fear of theft or vandalism, where a Saturday night out doesn't end in a street brawl.

I know South Shields has problems with youth disorder, with vandalism, with graffiti - but the foundations are in place to begin to deal with these problems. But we should never let the actions of a minority scar the reputation of the majority of young people.

I have met our Community Beat Officers and Community Wardens, and seen at first hand the excellent work that they do. I have seen some of the frightening and potentially lethal weapons handed in to South Shields police station as part of the nationwide Gun Amnesty. But it is up to us as a community to support the work that they do - to give our young people something more interesting and rewarding to do than loitering on street corners, to know where our children are and what they're doing, to help our pensioners feel safe in their homes and on our streets.

Above all, it is up to us as a community to send a clear message to burglars, vandals, graffiti artists, car thieves, muggers - all criminals - that such behaviour will not be tolerated in South Shields. I want us all to work together to make South Shields a community where we are striving to eradicate crime, and the fear of crime. The police are on our side. The Council are on our side. The vast majority of people are on our side. That should be a winning combination.