Sir Keir Starmer’s Government is under fire for fuelling a criminal justice “crisis” which means police and victims’ groups alike lack vital resources. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is blamed for denying police forces the support they need while forcing “devastating” cuts to victims’ services through her shock hike in employers’ National Insurance.
Sir Keir, a former director of public prosecutions, led his party back into Government after 14 years in Opposition with the self-declared “mission” to “take back our streets” by “halving serious violent crime and raising confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest levels”. But – one year on – polling by Opinium shows seven out of 10 people think little or no progress has been made.
Tiff Lynch, the national chair-elect of the Police Federation of England and Wales, warned of a “deepening crisis in policing” which threatens public safety.
Ms Lynch said future funding levels “fall short of what’s required to maintain current services” and claimed officers are now “21% worse off in real terms than they were in 2010”. She admitted forces would “struggle” to make Labour’s election pledge of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police and community PCSOs a reality.
Pressing for “urgent reform” to support officers’ mental health, she said: “What the police take home is criminal – not just pay, but the trauma and pressures of the job that they take with them.”
She added: “Without critical intervention, we risk losing 10,000 officers each year and wasting nearly £10billion simply trying to maintain staffing levels. This isn’t just a crisis for policing, it’s a risk to public safety.”
Katie Kempen, the chief executive of Victim Support welcomed efforts to tackle violence against women and girls and antisocial behaviour but she warned: “[The] big picture for victims of crime remains bleak and they continue to pay the price for a criminal justice system in crisis. Record court delays mean thousands are still waiting years for justice, their lives put on hold.
“At the same time, over the past year, vital victims’ services have faced devastating funding cuts and cost pressures brought by the rise to National Insurance.”
There is further concern about the Government’s decision to release offenders early to address overcrowding in prisons. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood insists it is not possible to “build our way out of this crisis”. She accepted the bulk of former Tory Lord Chancellor David Gauke’s recommendations so well-behaved prisoners may be back on the streets after serving just a third of their sentence.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “At the election Starmer promised safer streets, but he’s released thousands of prisoners early and is set to scrap short prison sentences altogether which will unleash a crime wave. Our high streets are bedevilled by petty crime and record amounts of shoplifting – the sense of lawlessness is only growing.
“There’s never been a better time to be a criminal.”
Labour will be in political danger if voters fear Britain is becoming a more thuggish country.
Former Conservative policing Sir Mike Penning was appalled last month when in one day he saw one ticket collector spat at and another sworn at.
“Can you think of anything more repugnant than spitting in another man’s eyes?” he said, adding: “If we are going to get into that sort of lawless society then we have got real problems”.
Sir Keir Starmer also ignited controversy with the appointment of his old colleague Lord Hermer as Attorney General. Attention has focused on his former clients, who include former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and an Islamist terrorist who plotted to bomb a Manchester shopping centre. Lord Hermer also has foes on the Left, including Blue Labour guru Lord Glasman who described the Attorney General as “the absolute archetype of an arrogant, progressive fool who thinks that law is a replacement for politics”.
‘Our prisons are broken, the probation service is overwhelmed, and the justice system is failing’
Meanwhile, Reform UK is portraying Labour as weak on crime.
Sarah Pochin, a former magistrate who won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election for Nigel Farage’s party after her Labour predecessor had been videoed punching a constituent in the street, said: “This Government is putting public safety at serious risk. Its policy of early release to free up prison space is sending hardened criminals back onto our streets, endangering the very people it is supposed to protect.
“The new rule allowing recalled offenders to serve just 28 days — instead of the full remainder of their sentence — is especially dangerous. Victims of domestic abuse are being left to face the terrifying prospect of their abusers walking free within weeks.
“Our prisons are broken, the probation service is overwhelmed, and the justice system is failing the hardworking people of this country.”
Overcrowding in prisons is mirrored by the backlog in the courts. There were 76,957 open cases waiting to be heard at the end of March – up from 69,021 the previous year.
Lawrence Newport of the campaign group Crush Crime said: “The Government must change direction now, capture, convict and imprison career criminals – and they must open the courts, every day, across this country to clear the backlog. No excuses.”
Transforming confidence in criminal justice at a time of tight public finances would be a challenge for any Government. But Britain faces a host of intensifying threats as criminals and terrorists exploit advances in information technology.
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, who chairs the National Police Chiefs’ Council, warned of “new and increased threats such as fraud, riots and terrorism, which are growing in prevalence and complexity”.
He said: “Police forces are trying their very best to keep up with finite resources, facing pressure to invest heavily in important areas and difficult decisions on where to cut back.”
The chief constable said a “once in a generation” change in the way police work is required to tackle “modern criminality”. But he added forces must “regain the trust and confidence of our communities” and “give a voice to those who have not been well served by policing”.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones has said “police spending power is projected to increase by an average 2.3% per year in real terms”. Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride wants details of how much of the cash will be raised through police council tax precepts.
Sir Mel said: “By refusing to come clean on how much of their so-called police funding boost is actually being dumped on council taxpayers, Labour are hiding the truth. Taxpayers deserve transparency, not hidden costs.”