Government gimmicks and burglary guidelines are failing Bury St Edmunds says Ruffley

Crime is soaring according to new government figures. David Ruffley MP today pointed to Home Office statistics showing that the number of robberies in Mid Suffolk rose by 180% in 2001-2.

David Ruffley MP said this was evidence that the Government's knee jerk reactions, gimmicks and initiatives were not working, and expressed concern that new plans to not jail burglars could increase crime further. He said:

"These new figures also prove what we all suspected- that violent crime is continuing to soar across Suffolk. In Mid Suffolk District Council police area violence against the person rose by 23.3%, sexual offences by 6.7%, robbery offences by 180%, household burglary by 66.3% and theft from vehicles by 12.4% from 2000/2001 to 2001/2002. In St Edmundsbury Borough Council police area violence against the person rose 6.2%, sexual offences by 3.2%, robbery offences by 14.3%, household burglary by 10.9% and theft from vehicles by 23.6%.

'Yet the Government's response to soaring crime is to issue new guidelines that first-time burglars should not be jailed. What signal does this send out to potential criminals? This is no comfort to the victims of crime.

'I believe the norm should be that burglars are jailed for their crimes. On top of this, we need the police back on the streets of Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, a serious programme to reform youth offenders and an end to Britain's drug culture. We must lead young people away from the conveyor belt to crime.'