Prison Capacity

Tahir Ali Excerpts

Monday 16th October 2023 Commons Chamber

[Alex Chalk]

Of course I will—what an appalling case. I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend. On the changes to whole life orders that we have introduced following the dreadful Sarah Everard case, where there was sexual violence followed by murder, it is in such cases that we insist, as a matter of fairness and basic natural justice, that someone who behaves in that way should expect to end their days in custody. That is what the British people think, and that is what we think too.

[Tahir Ali (Birmingham, Hall Green) (Lab)]

My constituents are increasingly victims of the scourge of dangerous and antisocial driving. They have contacted me demanding tougher penalties for those who cause death by dangerous driving. I welcome the Lord Chancellor’s statement that sentences have been increased for offences including death by dangerous driving to a maximum of life imprisonment. Will he confirm that prison capacity is not an obstacle to ensuring that dangerous drivers serve the prison time they deserve?

[Alex Chalk]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising that point. Dangerous driving shatters lives and families, which is why we thought it was right, in recognition of the sheer harm that it causes, that the maximum sentence should go from 14 years to life. I make the point, gently, that we would have welcomed support from the Opposition, which unfortunately we did not get. Notwithstanding the point that he raised, it is important for independent judges to decide on the facts of the case. We welcome the fact that the Sentencing Council is in place to impose guidelines to ensure that judges have everything they need to ensure consistency but also condign punishment.

Neighbourhood Policing: West Midlands

Tahir Ali Excerpts

Tuesday 14th December 2021 Westminster Hall

[Tahir Ali (Birmingham, Hall Green) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Edward. I would like to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Jack Dromey) for securing the debate. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Preet Kaur Gill), who is my constituency neighbour, for leading it.

I recently had the pleasure of joining local police units on an operation in the Sparkbrook area of my constituency. The operation was focused on road and traffic offences and was a huge success. Several untaxed and uninsured drivers were picked up, stolen vehicles were towed and parking tickets were issued by Birmingham City Council’s civil enforcement officers. The operation was very well received by residents and was a great example of the kind of productive work that can be done in partnership between the police and the local authority. Officers were glad to be out in the community, working to keep people safe, and residents were thankful for their efforts.

However, it also gave me an opportunity to speak to Inspector Fitzpatrick and Sergeant Chris Gallon, who informed me of the constant challenges faced by themselves and officers. We all know that police numbers are stretched thinner than ever before and that the Government’s promise of 20,000 more officers across the country will barely begin to address the challenges faced. Crime is becoming more complex, with many offences spanning numerous boundaries in terms of enforcement and responsibility. The decimation of local council funding and support after years of Tory austerity has meant that police are often the first to respond to those in greatest need of care. All this occurred alongside a worrying spike in gang activity and other serious crime.

As a result, our police officers are often bogged down in reactive policing, with fewer and fewer resources available for proactive, long-term community work. We know that neighbourhood policing takes time, commitment and sustained effort over many months to build productive partnerships with local businesses and community groups. Local officers in Birmingham, Hall Green are already doing much of this work despite the scant resources available to them. Imagine what could be achieved if our police were fully resourced and supported in their efforts.

Another thing I learned while speaking to officers is that the problems confronting neighbourhood policing are clear and straightforward. Resources are simply not available, either to the police or the local council. It is evident that our communities want a greater police presence. Neighbourhood policing gives us the opportunity to really tackle the social problems that many of our constituencies face daily. I urge the Government and the Minister to examine seriously the resources required to ensure consistent delivery of neighbourhood policing in the west midlands.

Back in 2000, when I was given responsibility for neighbourhoods and community safety, police numbers were increased and we saw a decline in criminal activity in the west midlands and Birmingham area. That has reversed under Tory austerity. Enough is enough—that is what our constituents tell us daily. It is vital that the Government and the Minister listen not only to residents but to the police themselves, and particularly those who patrol the streets we live in and who see what is happening, about what is needed to keep communities safe, for the police to protect and for us, as elected Members, to represent them.

--- Later in debate ---

[Kit Malthouse]

I have taken an intervention already; I will take another in a minute. It is extremely important for the confidence that people need to have in the west midlands that that is acknowledged. This was a different period financially for the country; people had to take difficult decisions. The west midlands made a certain matrix of decisions that resulted in the outcome today. A number of forces around the country made different decisions. As a result, they will have more police officers than they had in 2010. That is something with which hon. Members will have to wrestle; I am afraid that is the plain truth.

On neighbourhood policing, I am pleased to hear that there is a thrust in the west midlands to invest in neighbourhood policing, not least because the neighbouring Staffordshire force has been doing that for some years, to great effect. The police and crime commissioner and the former chief constable there took the decision to invest in neighbourhood policing and, interestingly, traffic policing, as the basic building blocks of an excellent delivery of service to their people. As a result, they saw significant reductions in neighbourhood crime. My hon. Friend the Member for Dudley North referred to the uplift number, which is 800-odd. I encourage exactly that kind of intervention. It is what lies behind our desire to expand the number of police officers in the country.

Difficult decisions had to be taken over the previous decade—you were part of the team that took those difficult decisions, Sir Edward, as a member of the party in power at the time—but the economics of the country now allow us to invest in policing in the face of changing crime.

[Tahir Ali]

Will the Minister explain why £175 million has been taken from west midlands policing since 2010, resulting in 2,200 fewer officers on the street? Giving back 800 officers does not replace the 2,200 lost. There is a deficit of 1,600. Can the Minister please explain?

[Kit Malthouse]

I am sorry if the hon. Gentleman missed it, but as I explained earlier, his predecessors blew the credit card and broke the bank in the country. Difficult decisions needed to be made, and the police and crime commissioner David Jamieson made a certain set of decisions about how he and the chief constable were going to prioritise spending.

The hon. Member for Croydon Central is probably tired of hearing this, but I was Deputy Mayor of London for policing between 2008 and 2012. We faced precisely the same budgetary challenges as the west midlands. It was extremely difficult; we had a £3.5 billion budget, and in two years I had to take something like 10% out of it, which is an enormous cut, but we chose to prioritise police officer numbers. We fought tooth and nail to maintain those police officer numbers above 31,000, and we were successful in doing so. As a result, our crime performance was better. That was also because of the tactics we pursued; it is not all about numbers.

Different decisions were made by police and crime commissioners during that period, and that has resulted in different outcomes for each of the forces. It would be foolish and, to be honest, financially illiterate, not to recognise that. We can see that in police forces’ reserves position, in the disposition of the property portfolio, and in the balance between police staff and police officer numbers. Every year, police and crime commissioners, who preside over all those things, have to produce a result from that quite complicated combination.

Independent Review of Administrative Law

Tahir Ali Excerpts

Thursday 18th March 2021 Commons Chamber

[Robert Buckland]

I am more than happy to wish the hon. and learned Lady a very happy birthday. I absolutely accept that she and I corresponded on these matters, and she pressed me when serving on the SNP Front Bench, but at no time was there any intention by the Government to trespass on to issues that are the province of the separate Scottish legal system. In this particular instance we have the Cart process, which applies to reserved matters and which of course would apply to Scottish courts, but I can assure the hon. and learned Lady that, if anything, we will be learning from the Scottish jurisdiction, because I note in particular section 108 of the Scotland Act 1998 and its provisions with regard to a certain type of remedy. So once again the great jurisdictions of England, Wales and Scotland are learning from each other as part of our even greater United Kingdom.

[Tahir Ali (Birmingham, Hall Green) (Lab) [V]]

The time limit to bring a judicial review claim is extremely short in comparison with other types of such claim. There is already a requirement for a claim to be brought promptly and within three months of the decision which is being challenged; any further restrictions would only make it harder for individuals to access justice. Will the Lord Chancellor guarantee that he will not make time limits for judicial review stricter than they already are?