Revealed: Labour’s plan to make our streets less safe

Labour’s opposition to stop and search would increase crime on our streets, putting frontline officers and communities at risk.

Despite the police making clear that stop and search is essential in their fight against violent crime, Corbyn’s Labour have consistently opposed giving officers the powers and equipment they need to keep themselves and the public safe.

A new report from the Conservative Research Department – using government statistics - shows that Labour’s consistent opposition to stop and search, mandatory custodial sentencing for repeat knife carriers, and the use of Tasers would see a surge in crime every year.

A Labour government would mean:

• 882 more firearms on our streets – that’s more than two additional guns being fired or used to threaten somebody every single day.
• 8,596 more offensive weapons on our streets resulting in 3,954 more assaults with injury or intent, 3,687 more thefts, 146 more sexual assaults or rapes and 52 more murders – that’s an additional murder every single week.
• 4,204 fewer offenders receiving some form of custodial sentences – that’s up to 12 fewer offenders being imprisoned every single day.
• 7,500 more police officers being injured or worse while confront criminals – that’s 20 more police officers injured or worse every single day.
• 7,900 fewer criminals apprehended and arrested – that’s up to 22 fewer criminals apprehended and arrested every single day.

In 2015, Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell were two of only three Labour MPs to vote against mandatory sentencing for second time knife possession. Diane Abbott has called stop and search ‘unhelpful’ and in August said plans to extend it were ‘draconian.'

By contrast, a majority Conservative government would guarantee the recruitment of another 20,000 police officers and introduce a range of measures to end the scourge of knife crime and make our streets safer.

This includes a new Serious Violence Reduction Order which will enable the police to stop and search habitual knife carriers without suspicion and investing in eighteen Violence Reduction Units to enable the police to implement a long term, multi-agency, preventative approach – helping to stop violence from happening in the first place.

Responding, Priti Patel, Home Secretary, said:

“Corbyn’s Labour would put the public at risk by refusing to give the police the political backing they need to fight violent crime and put more criminals behind bars.

“As the Party of Law and Order, we will always back the police to do their jobs. The recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers is already underway and we are giving them the powers and kit they need to keep themselves and the public safe. With a Conservative majority government we would go further, introducing even tougher sentencing to ensure there’s absolutely no safe space for these thugs to operate.

“The choice at this election is clear – vote for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party who will be too distracted by the chaos of another two referendums to even think about keeping our communities safe, or a majority Conservative government that will get Brexit done so we can focus on continuing to have the backs of the brave men and women of our police service.”