Lib Dems get tough on crime
Menzies Campbell today rejected claims the Liberal Democrats were soft on crime and said tackling this issue was his top priority.
The party leader insisted that if the Lib Dems were serious about social justice, they “cannot fail to be serious about preventing crime and enforcing the rules”.
In a speech to the Local Government Association, Sir Menzies called for the creation of a violent offenders register, to ensure continued monitoring of the most serious offenders when they left jail.
He also rejected calls of his predecessor, Charles Kennedy, for prisoners to be given the vote, saying that for those guilty of offences such as murder and rape, not voting was part of their punishment.
“Crime is a liberal issue too because the victims of crime are often the poorest, the most vulnerable and the least influential in our society,” he said.
The Lib Dem leader added: “I am determined that the Liberal Democrats under my leadership will stand for equality before the law and equality of responsibility under the law.”
Responding to frequent claims by Tony Blair that the Lib Dems are soft on crime, Sir Menzies pointed to the current row over foreign prisoners and the high re-offending rate as a sign that Labour had failed.
“This government has papered over the cracks in its failing administration by bombarding the country with new laws to create the illusion of an efficient and responsive Home Office,” he declared.
Sir Menzies condemned recent changes allowing the early release of all offenders who have served half their sentences, saying the Lib Dems would give probation boards the power to decide this issue.
And he said that all foreign prisoners should be deported on their release – where this was not possible due to safety concerns, they should be subject to a court order restricting their freedom.
In addition, he called for the Home Office to be broken, with its responsibilities on the courts, prisons and law referred to a new Ministry of Justice, and an independent agency taking over asylum.
“Britain is an instinctively liberal country. We believe in personal freedom and individual liberty. But we also believe that everyone should play by the rules and by the same rules,” he concluded.
“The rules need to be clearer and sharper. But most important of all, they must be effectively applied. And that is Labour’s failure.”
