Crime, Anti-Social Behaviour and Enforcement
The Lib Dems’ top priorities:
• Demanding that Police prioritises tackling violent crime and domestic abuse.
• Enhance the Prevention and Enforcement Service, to enable officers to spend more time in residential areas
• Lobby the police to increase the resources they allocate to community policing.
• Work to tackle speeding across our city.
• Promote volunteer schemes, such as Neighbourhood Watch and Speed Watch groups.
• Promote community justice panels.
• Improve services for young people.
The Liberal Democrats are concerned that in recent years more residents than ever before have contacted us to tell us that they are concerned about criminal activity and anti-social behaviour in and around our city.
Many people feel let down by the lack of police action to tackle anti-social behaviour in residential areas, too many of our Enforcement Officers’ time is being pulled into the city centre. As a result, problems such as dog fouling, graffiti, fly-tipping, and problem parking in residential areas aren’t being tackled. From our conversations with residents, it is clear to us that they feel ignored by our local Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner as well as by our Conservative-led city council.Things need to change.
The Liberal Democrats will take residents’ concerns seriously. We will ensure that the council works with the police to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour across our city and the surrounding countryside. We will create an enhanced Prevention and Enforcement Service which will spend more time tackling problems in residential areas.
Evidence shows us that community policing works, by building better relationships with residents, our police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) to play a vital role in intelligence gathering, community engagement and reassurance. That’s why we will lobby the police to improve their visible neighbourhood policing teams and work with the Police and Crime Commissioner to review the cuts which have been made to PCSO numbers. In Peterborough and wider Cambridgeshire policing area.
The Police’s Community Speedwatch scheme is proven to reduce speeding. It’s a way for the community to take the lead in making our roads safer. The Lib Dems want the council to invest in more Speedwatch equipment Community Speedwatch Groups can use across the Peterborough area. We also want the council to do more to promote and encourage the setting up of local Speedwatch schemes in areas without a group.
The Lib Dems will promote community justice panels and restorative justice that bring victims and wrongdoers together to resolve conflict, reduce harm and encourage rehabilitation. We support schemes like these because they have been shown to help victims and prevent more crime. Domestic abuse is an horrific stain on our society and is still all too often a hidden crime. Everything that can be done must be done to eradicate it. We are also determined to do all we can to reduce violence against vulnerable members of our society. All of our residents should feel safe in their own homes and in public places. The Liberal Democrats want to improve support services by ensuring they are properly funded so that victims are given the help and support they need.
We will review the provision of services for young people to ensure that there are activities available for them out of education, to help reduce anti-social behaviour caused by lack of a more productive use of their time.