THE TELEGRAPH: Members of the public should intervene to stop anti-social behaviour on Britain’s streets, the new Home Secretary has said.
In her first interview since her surprise appointment, Theresa May says she wants to create an atmosphere in which people feel able to stop gangs of youths blighting neighbourhoods. She suggests that more police would be on the beat – able to “help” citizens if confrontations threaten to become violent.
The Home Secretary tells The Daily Telegraph that her success in the post should be judged on whether “people feel safer in their own homes” and public faith in the police is restored.
Mrs May says a priority for the Government would be introducing laws to protect people tackling burglars and “good Samaritans” taking on troublemakers. She will also scrap dozens of Labour measures, such as ID cards, which threaten civil liberties.
“We need to generate an environment in which people are able to have the confidence to intervene,” she says. “The more we are able to generate that confidence, the more people will feel confident about intervening with kids on the street corner. I would like to have a situation where people felt able to intervene.” Mrs May, who was previously the shadow work and pensions secretary, also:
*Refuses to rule out a cut in the number of police officers under plans to reduce the Home Office budget.
*Pledges to end the “health and safety culture” in the police and return officers to the beat.
*Says she does not believe that there should be an absolute limit on the population but adds that plans are under way to introduce an annual cap for immigration from outside the European Union.
*Announces plans to take samples of the DNA of every prisoner in an attempt to make it easier to catch reoffenders.
Says the Government will push ahead with directly-elected “police chiefs” despite opposition from some chief constables. >>> Robert Winnett, and Andrew Porter | Friday, May 14, 2010
