Pubdate: Fri, 08 Feb 2008 Source: Liverpool Echo (UK) Copyright: 2008 Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales Limited Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/23V1ETB0 Website: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3702 Author: Martyn Barber, City of Liverpool Conservative Party LABOUR FAILING ON CRIME Despite recent headlines in the ECHO stating that crime is at its lowest level in Liverpool since 2003, the latest national crime statistics paint a completely different picture. They showed a 4% increase in gun crime recorded by police and a 21% increase in drug offences. These latest official figures show that Labour is failing to combat both violent crime and its causes fuelled by Labour's chaotic drugs policy. The government's complacency shows they are part of the problem, not the solution. If burglary and car crime are falling it is because vehicles and property are more secure. Crime has been displaced to much more vicious and harmful sectors. The Conservative Party would reclassify cannabis and establish a dedicated UK Border Police to stop illegal drugs and weapons flowing in through our porous borders. We would put police on the streets to catch and deter drug dealers and those who use guns, and we would ensure sufficient prison capacity so they could actually be punished. Cllr Martyn Barber, City of Liverpool Conservative Party - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin