Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Hanson of Flint Excerpts
Monday 6th February 2012

(12 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Baroness May of Maidenhead Portrait Mrs May
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I am happy to join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Essex police, and to their work in his constituency and others covered by that force. We do indeed see the value of community-led policing, and that is why chief constables up and down the country are making every effort to ensure that they can get police officers out from back-office posts and on to the front line, where people want to see them.

Lord Hanson of Flint Portrait Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab)
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The latest crime figures show that personal crimes of robbery, burglary and theft have gone up by 11% in the past year—the largest increase in more than a decade. Contrary to what the Home Secretary has just said, the independent inspectorate of policing has said that a 10% cut in police numbers will lead to a 3% increase in property crime. Quite frankly, the Home Secretary should be cutting crime, not police officers. Will she urgently revisit plans to cut 16,000 police from our streets?

Baroness May of Maidenhead Portrait Mrs May
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Well, really, I have to say to the right hon. Gentleman that he knows full well there is no direct link—there is no simple link—between crime and—