Labour: Government policies on law order a shambles

Tuesday, 21 June 2011 12:00 AM

Sadiq Khan, Labour's shadow justice secretary, calls government policies on law and order a mess and criticises David Cameron for breaking his promises:

"The Tory-led government's policies on law and order are in complete shambles. They do not have a coherent strategy for cutting crime because they are obsessed only with cutting costs. I am worried it will be victims of crime and communities around this country that will suffer as a result of this government's cuts to criminal justice which go too far and too fast.

"David Cameron made big promises on policing, honesty in sentencing and knife crime which have all been watered down or broken. This has damaged public trust in the justice system.

"We were promised a 'rehabilitation revolution' but instead this Bill will deliver cuts to the probation services, cuts to youth offending teams and cuts to the prison service that works to reform offenders. Asking those services that deliver rehabilitation and protection of the public to bear the brunt of the cuts to the justice system at the same time as keeping more offenders in the community is simply irresponsible.

"I am deeply concerned about the government's plans to limit the ability of judges and magistrates to hold people on remand in custody and the potential to weaken the process to keep in custody those offenders that pose a serious threat to public safety. This seems to fly in the face of one of the primary purposes of the justice system – to protect the public."

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