Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Tice Excerpts
Monday 24th February 2025

(1 day, 19 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Yvette Cooper Portrait Yvette Cooper
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My hon. Friend is right to raise this matter, for both Basingstoke and towns right across the country. Town centres were blighted by a 60% increase in shop theft in the two years before the election, as well antisocial behaviour. That is why tackling town centre crime will be at the heart of the crime and policing Bill, introduced tomorrow.

Richard Tice Portrait Richard Tice (Boston and Skegness) (Reform)
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Does the Home Secretary agree that it would be a better use of Greater Manchester police officers’ time if they actually policed the streets and prevented crime, rather than visiting grandmothers’ homes to discuss a Facebook post?

Yvette Cooper Portrait Yvette Cooper
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Perhaps the hon. Gentleman missed the discussion on this earlier. We have been clear that the central priority for policing set by this Government is neighbourhood policing, to tackle town centre crime, challenges across the country and serious violence, including violence against women and girls and the knife crime devastating young lives. We have made those priorities clear to police forces right across the country as part of our policing reform and our new legislation.