I was back on Bangor High Street with Chief Inspector Steve Pawson on Friday. We were there to talk about some of our community’s biggest concerns including anti-social behaviour, drug misuse and shoplifting, and for me to receive an update on how the local police are approaching the issues.
The last time I was talking about crime on Bangor High Street was with Yvette Cooper MP, just before the election. I’d brought her here to see the problems businesses were facing in the city centre. So it’s great that she’s getting on with the job now that she’s Home Secretary!
As well as the recent announcement of an additional 13,000 neighbourhood police for England and Wales, this Labour Government will shortly be introducing a new Policing and Crime Bill with much tougher measures to tackle anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. These will include:
– New ‘Respect Orders’ to tackle repeat offenders
– Removal of the £200 threshold for ‘low-level’ theft
– Creation of a stand-alone offence of assaulting a shop worker
We know change won’t happen overnight. Tackling town centre crime will require businesses, government and the police to work together. But this Government is taking action, and I’m committed to doing my bit as your local MP.
A big thanks to the Chief Inspector for your time today, and to all the police and PCSOs who work really hard in challenging circumstances to keep our communities safe.
If you have concerns about any of the issues mentioned in this post, or want to feedback ahead of the Policing and Crime Bill, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can email me claire.hughes.mp@parliament.uk or call my office on 01248 660797.
