Too many new laws but not enough police

5.00.00am GMT Tue 26th Dec 2006

Toby Philpott, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman has called on the government to stop wasting time on creating so many new laws and to create new police officers instead.

Toby Philpott said:

"In the recent Queen's Speech, the Blair-Brown government announced yet another Crime Bill, to add to the 59 Home Office Bills introduced since Labour came to power.

"Large parts of the last Crime Act haven't even come into force and already the Government is scrapping parts of it. This is an absurd approach to making laws and is more about catching headlines than catching criminals. It is about Labour Home Secretaries wanting to look tougher than the last one.

"Shepway Liberal Democrats believe that the best way to tackle crime is to create 10,000 more police officers. We need more police out in communities rather than buried under Labour's avalanche of new laws.

"With re-offending rates rising, conviction rates for some serious violent crimes falling, and fear of crime remaining alarmingly high, the Labour Government does not have a good record on crime. Here in South Kent we are having to deal with the madness of losing 35 police officers. Passing lots of new Acts of Parliament is too often a smokescreen to hide their failure.

"Labour Home Secretaries try to be very macho in the battle against crime. And as the saying goes, those who try to be too macho, aren't very macho. And that sums up Labour's failed approach to crime."