Research conducted by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that the police spent a total of 56 million hours filling in paperwork last year. In a keynote speech to the Police Federation, Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said:

“The police have been turned into bureau cops.

“The police should be allowed to get on with what they do best, fighting crime and catching criminals, not wasting millions of hours on paper work each year.

“When I speak to police officers I hear again and again that officers’ time is wasted re-entering the same information on multiple forms.

(more…)

Urging people to vote Liberal Democrat in the 2007 May elections, Ming Campbell focused on crime and the environment, the key themes that the Liberal Democrats have been campaigning on:

“Labour has presided over a failing criminal justice system. Less than one in 100 crimes are now punished in court, violent crime has risen, and reoffending rates are now at record levels. Mr Cameron is not prepared to speak plainly about what needs to be done either. But I am.

“We need a new approach to crime. We need to make prison work by rehabilitating prisoners and cutting reoffending. We need more police on the streets. We need to take back our town centres by allowing communities to close the pubs and clubs that cause trouble. We need compulsory work and training to give prisoners the skills and opportunities that make reoffending less likely. We need a Victim Compensation Fund, paid for by prison work. And, to increase public faith in the system, we need honesty in sentencing: sentences should mean what they say.

“On the environment, Labour’s record is wanting too. When Britain most needed a green chancellor, Tony Blair gave them a Brown one. The Chancellor’s record on tackling climate change is one of inaction and delay. He could have raised green taxes but he chose not to.

“But for us concern for the environment is not a passing fashion but a central and longstanding principle.

“That is what our politics is about. An adherence to principles even when the prevailing fashion is ranged against them. That’s why we voted against the Iraq war when the fashion in Parliament and the media was to be for it.

“It’s why nearly two decades ago we adopted radical policy proposals to cut emissions and curb climate change. We didn’t need to wait for a focus group to tell us what to do. The other parties may favour fashion over principle. But we won’t.”

You can read in detail about the Liberal Democrat policies for cutting crime at www.wecancutcrime.com and for improving the environment at www.libdems.org.uk/environment

If you need to contact your local council about the elections (e.g. to request a replacement postal ballot paper) you can find details at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk or you can contact the Liberal Democrats on 020 7222 7999.

Commenting on reports that the US issued a diplomatic protest over Britain’s decision to drop the investigation into alleged bribery by BAE, Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said:

“American dismay at the British decision to discontinue the BAE investigation is a grave embarrassment to the Prime Minister.

“Reports that the UK has been trying to undermine the OECD investigation into these allegations only serve to underline the grubby and squalid nature of this whole matter.”

Ming Campbell today visited the Gostwick Road Cop Shop in Bedford, with mayoral candidate Christine McHugh. The cop shop serves as a local base for officers on the beat and is open to all local residents who wish to have access to their local police as they can drop in to report anything they feel needs reporting.

Ming also met local Liberal Democrat candidates and supporters.

Visiting Liverpool today, Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell called for the Government to stop wasting money on ID Cards and instead invest in more police.

He highlighted the fact that Liverpool has now been turned down twice by the Government for 200 extra police officers during its year as the European Capital of Culture.

Commenting, Menzies Campbell said:

“This Government is already wasting £97,000 a day on an expensive, illiberal ID card scheme. This money should instead be spent on more police officers.
(more…)