Drug abuse targeted in anti-crime push pledge from Boris Johnson

Prime Minister Boris Johnson promises to cut crime with a push on fighting drug abuse and using electronic tags on more burglars after their release.

Mr Johnson aims to make society safer with his “unstinting” efforts. The government also propose a named police officer in all neighbourhoods in England and Wales that residents can contact.

However, the Police Federation, who represent officers, say more investment is need to battle crime.

Meanwhile, Labour accuse the government of “all talk and no action” when it comes to law and order.

Beating crime

The government’s Beating Crime Plan proposes that after thieves leave prison their location is monitored 24 hours a day with electronic tags. In an effort to reduce alcohol related crime, a trial on alcohol tags is planned for those leaving prison in Wales. These tags work by using the sweat from the body to detect if the wearer has consumed alcohol.

Project Adder, which targets drug gangs, will extend from 5 to 13 areas in England. The scheme offers help to addicts, and sees more people tested for drugs on their arrest.

The government plan to allocate a named officer to every neighbourhood in England and Wales. They argue that doing this will ensure the tackling of persistent crime and anti-social behaviour, as they “know their area”.

The plan also includes a pilot scheme to test the benefit of sending an officer to every reported burglary.

Stop and search powers

Stop and search powers are also coming back into full force, after former PM Theresa May introduced rules making it harder for officers to use them. These powers enable the police to search people in places where serious violence could arise, without the need for any reasonable suspicion. Ministers believe the limits on stop and search are holding back the fight against knife crime. However, the removing of these rules is a controversial move that will no doubt cause unrest.

A national platform will become available online for the public to contact police. Additionally, league tables will rank forces on their response times to 101 and 999 calls.

Money invested will go on helping young people, and more resources will deal with school truancy. A planned £45m is for specialist teams at schools located where levels of violence are high. While £17m is for a programme encouraging those in trouble with the police or in hospital from stab wounds to keep away from violence.

Backing the police

Mr Johnson says he “promised to back the police and make people safer” from the moment he became prime minister”. He says “we cannot level up the country when crime hits the poorest hardest and draws the most vulnerable into violence”.

The PM says his government has worked relentlessly on efforts to protect the British public. He believes “this plan delivers a fresh commitment, as we emerge from the impacts of the pandemic, to have less crime, fewer victims and a safer society”.

However, the Police Federation has recently declared it has no confidence in Home Secretary Priti Patel. They see it as an insult to freeze the pay of officers earning over £24,000 a year. On Tuesday they will deliver a letter to Downing Street with objections to the pay freeze and criticisms of the proposals to fight crime. They argue that without genuine investment into the whole justice system and proper consultation, it is just “another ill-thought out initiative”. Fresh ideas are needed, not just old ones being presented as something new.

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