Gordon Brown demands more of police

Adam Hewitt • Published 1 Mar 2010 11:55 5 Comments

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PRIME Minister Gordon Brown was in Reading this morning to tell police chiefs that their officers must spend more time on the beat.

He spoke with business owners, police officers and members of the public in Station Road, Harris Arcade and Friar Street before making a key crime speech in Reading Town Hall, emphasising that although crime has fallen, fear of crime has not and that people needed more ways to contact the police and hold them to account.

He thanked the police and community volunteers in the audience, saying: "The people of Reading are safer because of the work you do."

He said the only police target now is to increase public confidence and reduce fear of crime, and demanded that all neighbourhood police teams spend at least 80% of their time out on the beat.

He criticised some police forces who have said this would involve "too much bureaucracy", adding: "Let me be absolutely clear - that is not acceptable."

He also said people need to know more about their police forces, and what happens to criminals once they are caught.

He announced: "From next week, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary will publish for the first time online report cards of police performance - and every force has committed to publishing on its website a clear explanation of how people can complain if standards are not being met.

"We will build on the monthly beat meetings that neighbourhood policing teams already have with their communities, so from this summer people will have the right to petition online for extraordinary public meetings with senior police officers, to hold them to account for overall performance, or to call for action to address particular concerns."

He rebutted talk of cuts, saying: "We will halve the deficit by 2014 and we will protect our investment in local frontline services, and that includes policing."

He spoke of the need for more CCTV and said he will give more powers for people to petition their councils to install it, and also restated the importance of the DNA database. But he said if the DNA of those arrested but never convicted was removed from the database, as demanded by a European court ruling, then those responsible for some "sickening and harrowing crimes" may never be caught.

He said victims of persistent anti-social behaviour should be able to take out injunctions against their abusers, with legal costs met by the agencies who had let them down.

He also hit back at one of Tory leader David Cameron's big election themes, that of 'Broken Britain', saying: "I greatly resent those who seek to talk down what has been achieved in our communities. We will never accept the simplistic and defeatist argument that our society is broken."

He joined Home Secretary Alan Johnson and anti-social behaviour tsar Louise Casey to answer audience questions. Reading West MP Martin Salter, town centre business improvement district (BID) manager Guy Douglas, Thames Valley Police chief constable Sara Thornton and borough community leader Cllr Bet Tickner were among those who put questions to Mr Brown and Mr Johnson.

After the speech, Mr Brown was surrounded by a crowd that had gathered outside the Town Hall as word spread that the Prime Minister was in town, eager to catch a glimpse of him, shake his hand and take photos.

Commuter Janette McKillop, who had just got in from Basingstoke on her way to work in Reading, was stopped by Mr Brown for a chat at a sandwich bar in Victoria Street.

She said: "He was a very nice and pleasant man, we just talked about why he was in Reading. He was charming, I had no idea he was going to be in Reading this morning!"

For more on Mr Brown's visit, see the Reading Midweek and Reading Chronicle.

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Alex M
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Mar 1, 12:37
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In the name of God, GO!

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Andy Olver
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Mar 1, 13:23
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I travelled on the same train as Mr Brown as he returned to London after his visit to Reading. We were both delayed by 25 minutes due to "track circuit" failure in the Maidenhead area!

I have to report that there was some grim satisfaction among Great Western travellers that the Prime Minister had, this time, shared in their frustration.

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Michael Clift
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Mar 1, 16:15
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Police Officers should not be a party to any "politicking" by members of any party. When I saw this man on the mid-day news which indicated that he was speaking to "Police Officers" as an ex officer myself I was thoroughly angry. This item seems to clarify the position though, nevertheless, no Police Officer of whatever rank - including Chief Constables should give politicians credibility. It demeans them. Possibly the CC was enamoured by his good mood and disposition though.

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Pickled Wizard
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Mar 1, 20:02
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With browns track record of damning everything he touches or associates himself with, heaven help Reading.I'm so glad I moved.

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Marcus Lasance
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Mar 2, 15:21
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Brown is lying again on the issue of DNA retention. The example he used is again not of an innocent person on the DNA data base leading to an arrestand conviction but an example of the way propaganda works. Keep repeating half truths and hope some of it will stick by association.

Note the UK Government was not convicted for running the DNA of arrested people against this data base for a check on previous offences, but for hanging on to it after they have been proven to have no case to answer!

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