It has been another busy week of announcements from the Government as Boris Johnson continues to implement his campaign promises.
Last week we saw the Prime Minister open the first meeting of the National Policing Board, which will drive forward the Government’s commitment to recruit 20,000 new police officers during the next three years and brings together senior police leaders and government to discuss the practicalities of doing so.
The board is representative of all 43 police forces in the UK and there was a pledge to move swiftly to get those much-needed officers recruited, trained and on the front line.
But the Prime Minister’s commitment to reducing crime doesn’t stop there.
Over the weekend we have seen Boris Johnson announce an additional 10,000 prison places whilst expanding the stop and search powers of police officers and ordering and urgent review of sentencing policy to ensure the public are properly protected from the most dangerous criminals.
The Prime Minister has vowed up to £2.5 billion to create modern, efficient prisons whilst providing an additional 10,000 prison places. These places will be in addition to the new prisons that have already been announced which will provide 3,360 places by 2023. The new funding will also be used to bring previously decommissioned prison places back into use through extensive refurbishment and maintenance work.
I have always been proud to have HMP Kirkham in my constituency and am regularly reminded of the hard work and dedication of the prison officers working there.
The Sentencing review, which is set to start immediately, will look at sentencing for the most serious violent and sexual offenders, the rules governing when and how these offenders are released and sentencing of the most prolific offenders.
These announcements confirm the commitment the Prime Minister made on the steps of Downing Street last month and makes clear that this Government is serious about fighting crime.
Locally, I was disappointed that St Annes Kite Festival was cancelled due to severe weather warnings. I was however pleased to see it re-arranged for the 6th, 7th and 8th September and I am hopeful that all teams will be able to attend.
This weekend sees the return of the 1940’s wartime festival which organisers have yet again worked incredibly hard to prepare for. The event is always very well attended and serves as an invaluable platform to display and educate about war conditions, memorabilia and vehicles.
I understand that once again local shopkeepers and businesses will be getting involved with window displays and I urge you to get down and show your support.