PLANS to free local police forces from the grip of central government bureaucracy and targets have been welcomed by Liberal Democrats in Bury.

The proposals have been launched by Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne and will be debated at the party’s conference in Bournemouth in September.

Vic D’Albert, Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson for Bury South said that police officers would be freed to spend more time policing communities rather than chasing government targets. 

“The police have to be free to police our local communities,” said Vic D’Albert, “Constant interference and targets from Whitehall do little to catch criminals and deter crime. Bury police are far better placed than a government minister in Whitehall to decide what the local priorities are. “

The proposals also call for police authorities to be elected by local people, rather than appointed by ministers. That will mean policing priorities are under the control of local people.

Other proposals to be debated by the Liberal Democrats include appointing 10,000 extra police officers, paid for by scrapping the expensive and bureaucratic National Identity Card scheme. 

The spokesman’s paper from Chris Huhne MP, Cutting Crime: Catching Criminals With Better Policing, is available on the Liberal Democrat website: http://www.libdems.org.uk/media/documents/policies/Cutting%20Crime%20by%20Catching%20Criminals.pdf

Liberal Democrats in Bury have welcomed proposals made by the party’s Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne MP to tackle youth crime.The plans aim to deter crime and get young people involved in positive activities that benefit local communities. They include: 

• The creation of a Youth Volunteer Force, to engage with young people, involve them in community projects and give them skills to benefit them in later life;
• Establish Community Justice Panels across the country, where offenders admit their guilt to the community and agree on a Positive Behaviour Order as a course of action;
• Create a dedicated PCSO youth officer within every Safer Neighbourhood Team to identify and work with teenagers most at risk of offending;
• 10,000 more police on the streets by scrapping the ID cards scheme;
• Intelligence-led stop and search and ‘hot spot policing’ targeted at gun and knife crime;
• Restorative justice programs to be run in every community, specifically targeted at early intervention with widespread use in schools and care homes.

Vic D’Albert, Lib Dem parliamentary spokesperson for Bury South said, “These proposals could potentially go a long way to reduce youth crime. By having more police and by focusing on crime hotspots, we will be able to deter crime more effectively from happening. 

“But we also need to give young people positive alternatives to do. Too often they get into trouble because there is nothing for them to do. The Youth Volunteer Force will be a great way to get young people involved in activities that benefit themselves and the area where they live. “I am also keen to ensure that those who do break the law or cause disturbances or vandalism have to pay back the community they have wronged.  

“That is why restorative justice is important. It will mean that those convicted of offences will have to work on cleaning up vandalism or on projects that benefit communities as part of their punishment. Even now in this area we are seeing the benefits of this approach as some of those responsible for recent graffiti have agreed to clean up the mess and face the consequences of their actions.

 “Residents of Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich often tell me of their worries about youth crime. I believe that the proposals the Liberal Democrats have put forward will go a long way to addressing those concerns.”

LIBERAL Democrats in Bury are calling for tougher action against those caught selling knives to children and young people.

Vic D’Albert, Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson for Bury South made the call after being sent figures for prosecutions that were uncovered in Parliament by Chris Huhne MP, the party’s Shadow Home Secretary.

The figures reveal that:
• Only 71 people have been successfully prosecuted for selling knives to children in the last five years
• None were sent to prison and only one was given a community sentence
• 56 people were fined, but 21 of them were given fines of less than £200

“This is a completely inadequate deterrent to unscrupulous shop keepers who flout the law to sell these weapons to children and young people,” said Vic D’Albert.

“These tiny fines and a lack of custodial punishment is the wrong signal to those who profit from the illegal sale of knives.

“These figures are particularly worrying as they came to light only days after the release of other figures showing 2294 serious crimes in Greater Manchester area involved a knife in 2007/8. Knife crime is 20% of all serious crimes taking place here.

“These figures do not record children and young people separately but they do show that knife crime is a serious problem. It is too easy for children and young people to get hold of knives. Too many are being drawn into a culture of carrying and using knives.

“Liberal Democrats believe that the courts must take a much stronger stand against those who are fuelling knife crime by illegally selling knives to children and young people.

“Cutting the supply of knives will be one of the most effective ways to reducing knife crime in the first place.”

Liberal Democrats in Bury have welcomed the launch of the Liberal Democrats’ vision for Britain by Party Leader Nick Clegg MP. Called ‘Make it Happen’, the paper will be debated at the party’s conference in Bournemouth in September. In ‘Make it Happen’ the Liberal Democrats say: 

      They will cut taxes for ordinary families

If your local hospital can’t see you on time, they will pay for treatment elsewhere

They will switch taxes from people to pollution - so it pays to go green

To improve standards in education, they will fund extra help for those who need it most

      They will put Britain at the heart of Europe to make us a force for good in the world

They will stop ID cards so we can keep control of our privacy

They will change the voting system so everyone’s voice counts

They will bring communities together with local people in charge

They will give communities a say in how offenders pay for their crimes 

Vic D’Albert, Bury South Parliamentary spokesperson said, “I am delighted to be able to back ‘Make it Happen’. It sets out how the Liberal Democrats will run Britain. “No resident of Bury has escaped the rising cost of food and fuel. The credit crunch is biting hard and local people are feeling the pinch. “Nick Clegg has set out how we can help ordinary people through cutting taxes on those on low and middle incomes. Thousands of people in Bury will benefit from this. 

“We are taking the plans in ‘Make it Happen’ to the people of Bury during the summer to get their response.  And in September, we will be heading to the Liberal Democrats’ conference where we are looking forward to taking part in the debate.” ‘Make it Happen’ is available at: http://www.libdems.org.uk/media/documents/policies/Make%20it%20Happen.pdf 

The Liberal Democrats have outlined radical plans to tackle youth crime.
The dual approach aims to stop young people committing crimes in the first place by enabling them to play a full role in society through increased training and volunteering, as well as stopping criminal behaviour early by making young offenders face up to their crimes.The main proposals :

A leading local Liberal Democrat has called on the Government to start tackling knife crime head on, by first dealing with knives in the home. 

In response to health service research that has identified that most knives used as weapons are kitchen knives, Vic D’Albert, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesperson for Bury South is calling on the Government to press for changes to kitchen knife design. 

Vic D’Albert said, “Most kitchen knives have a sharp pointed end which is rarely if ever needed. Most kitchen knives are needed for chopping and cutting and we just don’t need a pointed end for stabbing! Even my bread knife has a pointed end – god only knows what that is needed for. “Health research has proven that many of these knives end up being used as weapons. If the Government is serious about reducing knife crime then every avenue has to be investigated.  

“Clearly it is a traditional that knives have a pointed end, even when not required. In my mind it is blindingly obvious that at a stroke we could make the home safer and cut the number of dangerous knives in the public domain by designing out the problem. Its time manufacturers responded and the Government needs to make sure that they do”.