MORE POLICE UNDER LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

8.46.23pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 20th Apr 2005

Wendy Johnson Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Ashfield

Wendy Johnson has today stated the importance of tackling crime in Ashfield and the Liberal Democrats plans to achieve this.

"When I talk to people in Ashfield the main thing they keep telling me is: "We never see a police officer on the beat in our area". This is not surprising, since according to Home Office figures, Ashfield has only 165 police officers per 100,000 citizens compared to the national average of 264 officers per 100,000.

Liberal Democrats see more bobbies on the beat as the key to cracking crime. To achieve this we will:

Scrap ID cards and spend the money instead on 10,000 extra police officers, supported by 20,000 community support officers;

equip the police with new technology and reduce their paperwork to

give them more time on the streets detecting and preventing crime;

give the police enough resources to get tough on anti-social behaviour

and binge drinking;

introduce stiffer sentences for drugs dealers and provide more drug

rehabilitation for users.

Liberal Democrats are extremely concerned about the high levels of crime throughout the country. It is time to crackdown on those who make decent people's lives a misery. If elected as your MP I will fight tooth and nail to get Ashfield its fair share of police."