Local MPs Ben Everitt and Iain Stewart have welcomed the Government’s new Beating Crime Plan which will help tackle crime on the streets of Milton Keynes.
The measures build on progress to date toughening sentences to keep the most dangerous offenders behind bars and the delivery of almost 9,000 of the 20,000 extra police officers across the country promised by 2023 – including 269 which have already been recruited by Thames Valley Police.
Under the new plan each neighbourhood will have contactable, named police officers, who know their area and are best placed to ensure that persistent crime and anti-social behaviour is tackled, and will also include:
- Expanding the use of electronic monitoring so burglars and thieves will have their whereabouts monitored 24 hours a day upon release from prison
- Permanently relaxing conditions on the use of section 60 stop and search powers to empower police to take more knives off the streets
- Making unpaid work more visible by getting offenders to clean up streets, alleys, estates, and open spaces, and ensuring justice is seen to be done
- Investing over £45m in specialist support in both mainstream schools and Alternative Provision – including mental health professionals, family workers, and speech and language therapists – in serious violence hotspots to support young people at risk of involvement in violence to re-engage in education
- Providing a new £17m package for Violence Reduction Units to provide high-intensity therapeutic and specialist support from trained youth workers, including at crisis points such as when a young person is being admitted to A&E with a knife injury or upon arrest, to divert them away from violence
- Rolling out two further rounds of the Safer Streets Fund to increase the safety of public spaces through steps including targeted patrols, increased lighting and CCTV, and work with councils to design out crime
- Enhancing the role for Police and Crime Commissioners by launching the second part of the PCC Review to equip them with the tools they need to drive down crime and anti-social behaviour in their local areas
Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, said: “I’m delighted with the Government’s new Beating Crime Plan which will help us tackle crime, especially violent crime, here in Milton Keynes.
“We’ve seen an increase in the use of stop and searches in MK over the last few months and I’m pleased the Prime Minister is giving police even more powers to use section 60s as these can be extremely effective ways to get dangerous weapons off our streets.
“We are continuing to boost the numbers of police officers in Thames Valley Police and this will help increase police visibility across MK and make our streets safer.”
Iain Stewart, the MP for Milton Keynes South, commented: “The Conservative Government’s new Beating Crime Plan is most welcome here in Milton Keynes.
“Having seen an increase in crime across my constituency, this plan will help to make our streets safer and, ultimately, make residents feel safer within their community.
“I am particularly pleased that we are relaxing voluntary conditions on Section 60 stop and search powers, which will help in reducing the number of weapons on our streets."
