Feeling secure is the bedrock on which opportunities are built, communities can thrive, and local economies can prosper. But our sense of security has eroded over the past 13 years as levels of violent crime have become far too high, and confidence that there will be any consequences when a crime is committed is too low.
The Government has hollowed out neighbourhood policing, allowed vulnerable young people to be drawn into crime and violence, and allowed confidence in the police and criminal justice system to collapse. There has been systematic failure to tackle violence against women and girls. Criminals are being let off while victims are let down.
Tackling this effectively is a huge challenge and is a social justice issue – with those who are vulnerable or on low incomes, being much less likely to feel safe or secure. But it can’t be done by tinkering with a single policy change. We need system change across Government, public services and society to fix it.
Labour will meet this challenge and make Britain’s streets safe as the second of our five driving missions. Our second mission in government is to halve serious violent crime and raise confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest levels.
Within a decade, our second mission will:
Halve the level of violence against women and girls.
Halve the incidents of knife crime.
Raise confidence in every police force to its highest levels.
