Re-offending rates are far too high. Electronic monitoring is being expanded – including sobriety tags to check alcohol consumption.
In the Thames Valley, those under 18 caught with drugs are given an education programme, with sanctions if they refuse to attend.
If the bicycle that is stolen is someone’s only means of getting to work, then there is significant harm.
The merits of local policing, embedded in the community, should not be underestimated. Shifting to specialist teams is a mistake.
A string of bicycle thefts could be a coordinated plan, with those stealing the bikes paid with a small amount of Class A drugs.
In Thames Valley we have had some groundbreaking investigations. But there are too many agencies with overlapping responsibilities.
The Ministry of Justice should seriously consider GPS tagging for all serious or violent offenders as part of their sentence
If the Conservative Party believes in anything, it should be private property and the liberty of the individual.
There should be a tax-free bounty for the completion of a minimum number of hours and a requirement on employers to accommodate time off for them to serve.
The police force exists “to prevent crime and disorder”; the public rightly expect everything the police do, to contribute to that objective.
This would both save money and provide a better focus on local communities.
In the Thames Valley, we are reaching those individuals who find themselves in hospital but would normally shun the police.