October 2008

"Have you ever taken illegal drugs Minister?."  That's the inevitable question I've yet to be asked in my new role as a Home Office Minister.  The answer incidentally is no.
 
When the Prime Minister rang me to offer me the job, even after being the Home Office Whip, I wasn't sure of the scale of the post.  My responsibilities extend from Drugs, Alcohol and Anti-Social Behaviour through Prostitution, Online Child Protection, People Trafficking and Domestic Violence, to Gangs, Guns, Knives and Serious and Organized Crime via public order, animal rights extremism and football disorder.
 
I know how important crime and crime reduction is to my constituents.  In the last decade crime has fallen by around a third, but fear of crime is too high and tackling crime is a priority.  Solutions are rarely simple and whilst in the longer term it's important to address the causes of crime, it's equally important that lawbreakers know they face swift action and tough punishment.
 
Effective action also means the community standing together against the criminals.  Where partnership works the effects are dramatic.  The successful partnership between the local authority and the local police means our area is the safest borough of its type in the country.  But it's no good reminding residents that there is a record number of police officers if they rarely see one in their area.  That's why neighbourhood policing and building on the Policing Green paper to set locally agreed priorities are so important.
 
I also know that there's a lot more to do.  We've passed a raft of laws including licensing reform and measures to tackle anti-social behaviour.  They must be fully used for those they were designed to help – residents who play by the rules.  I want to make sure that the benefits of decisions made in Westminster are felt here in Tynemouth.  But also important is the message on crime which I take to Westminster after every weekend at home in my constituency.