Morley MP Andrea Jenkyns fights to keep crime at the top of national agenda

We need to ensure they have the numbers, the equipment and the training they need, so they can continue to arrest criminals and keep them off our streets.

This summer, I told the Minister for Policing, Nick Hurd MP, that the people of my constituency, Morley and Outwood, want to see more police officers on the streets.

I was pleased when he told me that the government has taken steps that have led to an additional £460 million of investment going into the police system, including another £9.9 million for West Yorkshire.

A key commitment I made at the last general election for Morley and Outwood was to hold local authorities to account.

With this increased investment, the Police and Crime Commissioner for our area has said he will recruit more than 140 additional police officers and staff.

This is welcome, however we must ensure an increase in police visibility comes quickly in order to catch criminals and deter anti-social behaviour cases in particular.

I have launched a petition on my website so that constituents can back my campaign to fight crime in our area.

With more signatures, the pressure on local authorities, such as the Police and Crime Commissioner, to deliver on their promises will increase and we will see the positive impacts of the government’s increased investments more immediately.

You can sign up to this campaign on my website at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/y6unoype

More must be done to tackle violent crime also. I have arranged a meeting with the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid MP.

I hope the Home Secretary agrees with me that more needs to be done to tackle crime and keep Yorkshire safe.

Through stricter sentences, we will be able to better dissuade criminals before they commit crimes, which will both keep our area safe and also cut costs to fighting crime.

I am proposing an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons on this subject, pushing for longer sentences and more custodial sentences to be handed down to those found guilty of committing violent crime in order to keep the public safe and to deter further violent offences, and to revive trust in our legal justice system.

Finally, we have recently seen some people suggest misogyny and misandry should be classed as ‘hate crimes’.

This would force the police to waste valuable time and resources rather than focus on core police work that actually helps to keep our communities safe.

I agree with the chairman of the National Police Chief’s Council, Chief Constable Sara Thornton, who said that the public expects the police to be “responding to emergencies, investigating and solving crime and neighbourhood policing”, and I would not wish to see the police distracted from their core duties.

Crime is something that cannot be tolerated and I am working with our local authorities, the Police and Crime Commissioner, businesses, and community groups to ensure this important issue is at the top of the national agenda.