David Ruffley

DOMESTIC violence convictions in Suffolk soared by more than 50% last year, with the figures hailed as proof that action against the 'devastating' crime was working.

Last year there were 652 successful prosecutions for domestic violence in Suffolk, compared to 428 the year before.

The county's conviction rate of more than 76% is now the second highest in England, which the police yesterday welcomed as evidence that its efforts to raise the crime's profile were working.

CONVICTIONS for domestic violence have increased by more than 50 per cent in Suffolk in the last year, it was revealed today.

The figures were released by David Ruffley MP who asked for the latest figures in a question to Home Office minister Tony McNulty.

The statistics show that in 2005 there were 428 convictions for domestic violence in the county and in 2006 the number increased to 652.

During the same period convictions for domestic violence in England rose by 37 percent.

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to secure the future of rural post offices have held a rally in a Suffolk village in a bid to highlight their importance to the local community.

Around two dozen people were at Combs Ford Post Office, near Stowmarket, yesterday for the protest, organised by the Countryside Alliance.

Among those backing the rally was Conservative MP David Ruffley, who represents the Bury St Edmunds constituency.

He said: 'The government is consulting on plans to axe 2,500 Post Office branches so a show of support has never been more important.

A SUFFOLK MP has called for a review of airgun legislation in the wake of a swan being killed by a gun-wielding monster at a nature spot in the county.

David Ruffley, MP for the Bury St Edmunds constituency which covers Needham Market, said it was time to ask questions about whether the weapons are ending up in the wrong hands following the incident at Needham Lake.

The Evening Star has stumped up a £250 reward to catch the person responsible for shooting the swan last Wednesday. The bird later had to be put down by a vet.

YOUNG drivers are involved in almost a third of accidents on Suffolk roads and account for a quarter of fatalities.

Chief Constable Alastair McWhirter is being asked to tackle the problem after the "shocking" figures were revealed to MP David Ruffley.

The Bury St Edmunds MP has been conducting a House of Commons investigation into safety on Suffolk's roads and the county's major trunk road, the A14.

AN MP has claimed that drug offences are "spiralling" in Suffolk compared to neighbouring counties of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.

Latest figures from the Home Office show there were 2,015 drug offences in Suffolk in 2005/6 compared to 1,442 in Cambridgeshire and 1,821 in Norfolk.

David Ruffley, MP for Bury St Edmunds, was given the figures after asking a House of Commons question of Vernon Coaker MP, parliamentary under-secretary at the Home Office.

Mr Ruffley has asked Alastair McWhirter, Suffolk's Chief Constable, for an explanation.

CAMPAIGNERS fighting for urgent road improvements in the aftermath of an horrific double fatal accident have had their hopes dashed.

A driver and his passenger were killed after their Fiat Panda was in collision with a 40-tonne lorry on the A143 at Great Barton, near Bury St Edmunds, on Thursday afternoon.

The latest fatalities on Suffolk's roads have prompted renewed calls for short-term improvements and ultimately a village bypass, which has been on the wishlist for decades.

GUN crime in Suffolk is increasing at an 'alarming' rate and is double the rate of Norfolk, an MP has warned.

Fifty-eight firearms offences were recorded in the county in 2005-6 compared to 29 in Norfolk and 34 in Cambridgeshire.

The figures were obtained by Bury St Edmunds MP David Ruffley who said gun crime had rocketed by more than 1,000% in Suffolk since 1997 when only five incidents were recorded.

The Conservative MP has now written to Suffolk police's new Chief Constable Simon Ash asking him to explain the rise.

THE mother of a murder victim has voiced her fears over a surge in violent crime in a Suffolk town.

The concern was raised just hours after a 24-year-old man was stabbed in St Andrew's Street North in Bury St Edmunds - the latest in a string of alarming incidents.

Police cordoned off the road and the victim, who is thought to have staggered 50 yards up the street before collapsing, was treated at West Suffolk Hospital before being released last night. Police are questioning two men, aged 23 and 24, in connection with the incident.

THE Government has hit back after being accused of neglecting health care in Suffolk following figures that show spending per head of population on the NHS is £161 less in the county than the national average.

It comes after Bury St Edmunds MP David Ruffley met Suffolk Primary Care Trust on Friday to receive an update on its finances and the progress it is making towards wiping out its multi-million pound debt.