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This week, I spoke in the House of Commons about the Labour Government’s new Crime and Policing Bill - a vital step in the mission to make our town centres safer for everyone. As someone who served as a police inspector prior to entering politics, I’ve seen how dramatically the demands on policing have changed, and how crucial it is to give the police the right tools to tackle both serious violence and the everyday antisocial behaviour that blights our communities.

Antisocial behaviour, shoplifting, and low-level street crime chip away at people’s confidence and drive them away from town centres like Nelson, Colne, Clitheroe, and Barnoldswick. Under the previous Conservative Government, neighbourhood policing was cut to the bone, as the overstretched officers left behind were forced to cope with an increasing number of domestic violence and sexual offence reports.

Now, this Bill introduces a raft of measures for persistent antisocial behaviour offenders and new action against shoplifting. One of the flagship measures in the Bill is the introduction of Respect Orders, banning persistent antisocial offenders from town centres. From my experience on the front line, I know that a tiny minority of repeat troublemakers cause the vast majority of the problems on our streets. Targeting them relentlessly is the surest way to take town centres back.

Another crucial element of the Bill is tackling high-harm crimes such as stalking, spiking, and knife crime. During my speech in the Commons, I highlighted the need for modern, coordinated police IT systems to keep pace with changing crime patterns, because without the right technology and databases, even the best-intentioned legislation can only go so far.

Jonathan Hinder MP speaking in the House of Commons Chamber yesterday

This Bill marks a clear break from the old approach, where some crimes were dismissed as simply “low-level”, no matter how destructive they were to local people’s sense of safety. As I mentioned in the Commons, I also want this to be the start of a debate about the agreed role of the police, because it has become too blurred. By making crystal clear what the priorities should be, we will set our officers up to succeed and rebuild public confidence in policing.

I am meeting with local police leaders regularly to ensure that we have named neighbourhood officers in every part of the constituency, as part of Labour’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. As a former police officer, I am determined to ensure that Pendle & Clitheroe sees the benefit of this Labour government’s strong focus on policing and crime. Upcoming Surgeries: Clitheroe – Saturday 22nd March 10:30-12:00 [NOW FULLY BOOKED] Nelson – Friday 4th April 15:00-16:30 As always, please email me on [email protected] to book a slot.

Jonathan Hinder MP Column – Putting Our Town Centres First with the Crime and Policing Bill