Having spent a lot of time with our fantastic local police force, I am wholeheartedly committed to tackling crime across Watford and putting victims of crime first. Everyone deserves the security and confidence that comes from living on a safe street.
I fully support the Government in delivering upon the commitment to put an additional 20,000 police officers on our streets. Hertfordshire has already welcomed 338 new officers which is excellent, surpassing the original uplift target (figure correct as of March 2023.)
The Home Office has awarded an additional £120 million to make streets across England and Wales safer through the Safer Streets Fund. Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner received £1.5 million, delivering interventions targeting Neighbourhood Crime and anti-social behaviour.
The Government is continuing the biggest prison building programme in more than a century. £4 billion of investment will create 20,000 modern and innovative prison places, ensuring the right conditions are in place to rehabilitate prisoners.
To make sure that the public are properly protected from dangerous criminals we’re ending the automatic release of the most serious violent and sexual offenders at the halfway point of their sentence as well as conducting an urgent review of sentencing.
This government will always take the necessary steps to ensure criminals are kept off our streets. Since the appalling incident on London Bridge, we’ve announced that we’ll keep terrorists in prison for longer and tighten security around our borders to keep Britain safe.
