Stourbridge cops told they need more power (From Stourbridge News)

Stourbridge cops told they need more power

12:39pm Monday 16th November 2009

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A LEADING Tory politician has told Stourbridge cops they need more powers to bring crooks to justice.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling says if the Conservatives take power at the next general election they would restore greater influence to cops on decisions about charging alleged offenders.

The Conservative front bench MP made the pledge during a visit to the region where he discussed crime with police, probation officers, magistrates, Dudley Council staff and representatives of Stourbridge schools.

The would-be minister told the meeting the pendulum has swung too far in favour of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which concentrates on serious crime and has difficulty engaging with persistant anti-social behaviour.

He said the Conservatives plan to give police more say on bringing people to court while at the same time acting early to steer young people away from persistant offending.

He said: “The question is how do we deal with it, we need to do more to interviene without criminalising young people.”

Chris believes the answer could be to encourage voluntary groups to take part in youth engagement centres while swift punishments, like curfews and the confiscation of personal property, could act as a deterrent to young people involved in anti-social behaviour.

The top Tory also slammed fixed penalty notices for anti-social behaviour which he says belittle offences and lead to people moving on to more serious crime.

Prospective Tory Parliamentry candidate for Stourbridge, Margot James, added: “When the police do get on top of anti-social behaviour by arresting the ringleaders and working with youth offending teams to engage with the ‘hangers on’ a real difference can be made, as we saw a few months ago in Wollaston.

“All too often people are let off or moved on and this just reinforces their view that they can behave as they like without fear of consequences.”

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