AUTHOR: Cllr John Whelan DATE: Thursday, February 14, 2008 ----- BODY:

Cllr Shirley Houghton, Conservative London Assembly Candidate for Lambeth and Southwark, has given her strong backing to the crime manifesto unveiled by Boris Johnson yesterday.

Shirley said: "Throughout Lambeth and Southwark, crime is the number one issue of concern – on the doorsteps, in the streets, and on public transport. We have had more than our fair share of news headlines in this area over the last year, and we need some radical ideas to tackle the problems. In the last 5 months I have been the victim of a street attack and robbery, and had my car vandalised."

The Boris Johnson plan to make London safer includes:

Chairing the MPA to provide leadership in standing up against unnecessary form filling and government targets, so that police can spend more time on the beat.
Making buses, trains and stations safer by investing in a greater police presence on the network and live CCTV on buses.
Combating knife and gun crime with a comprehensive strategy that deals with every aspect of the problem including: funding community groups; providing police with handheld weapon scanners; and designing out crime on new housing developments.
Helping the ignored victims of sexual violence by providing long-term funding for new Rape Crisis Centres in London.
Demanding a police service that is accountable to Londoners by providing neighbourhoods with New York-style crime maps that show the true levels of crime in each area, enabling them to hold local police to account.

Shirley added: "If crime is not tackled properly now, it will only get worse."

CLICK HERE to read Boris' crime manifesto in full.

Labels: Crime, GLA, Mayor of London, Safety, Shirley Houghton

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