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Time to get tough

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson takes umbrage at my suggestion that he and his senior police officers should concentrate on arresting and charging those involved in knife crime as opposed to repeating the clearly failing initiative of ‘trying to understand and educate’ young people as to why carrying a knife is not socially acceptable (SA 4 May).

I can cite 39,598 reasons to conclude that social initiatives have failed the public, I can point to police produced statistics which clearly demonstrate an increase in knife crime by teenagers and ‘children’ as young as 12. It’s not just knife crime either, it’s not uncommon for officers to apprehend teenagers with machetes and axes, even a meat cleaver. The Force’s focus on education, prevention and early intervention just isn’t working Angus, and that’s not an opinion, it’s a fact based on official data provided by the Home Office and the police themselves.

It was Tony Blair who in 1997 claimed to be ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’, a year in which 40% of offenders cautioned or convicted for an indictable offence were under 21. Then Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board, John Drew, argued that over the following decade there was “a huge amount of focus on youth offending in a way that was not there beforehand. This led, amongst other developments, to the expansion of the youth justice system into areas of policy which have not traditionally been part of its remit, such as parenting programmes, summer Splash schemes for children in high crime areas and Youth Inclusion and Support Programmes to identify children at risk of offending.

In 20 years of police and their partner agencies attempting to ‘understand and educate’ the net result has been an increase in youth offending, a greater use of knives by street gangs and a corresponding reduction in those using or carrying a blade being locked up in a cell. How soon before we have another initiative to follow that introduced in 2007 - Cutting Crime—a new partnership 2008-11?

Des Morgan

Caraway Drive

Swindon

Now do your duty

Now that the election is over, maybe it is time to reflect on the function of councillors and councils.

The primary function of an elected councillor is to represent ALL their constituents – not just those who voted for them.

The primary function of local councils is to provide local public services – and to ensure that they are maintained at an acceptable level.

The corollary of this is that, if the public want good public services (and they do), they must be prepared to pay for them – by some sort of taxation and/or some payment at the time of use.

However, it is up to our elected representatives to ensure that ‘the system’ that delivers these services is efficient, effective and cost-effective – with a minimum of bureaucracy. They must never forget that it is the people ‘on the front line’ who deliver such services to the people who use them are what really matters.

Malcolm Morrison

Prospect Hill

Swindon

Concern over ID

In reply to Bill Williams about his voting experience. I am sorry you had a bad one. Mine was the complete opposite.

Upon passing over my polling card at the relevant table the person there said “Are you Linda Richards of Wheatlands?”

I duly voted and then left dumbfounded as to where the ID proof in that was. I could have been anybody. I could have found the card in the street. Surely a secondary proof of ID should be used.

Linda Richards

Wheatlands

Haydon Wick

Thanks for your votes

Following my re-election as a councillor for the Mannington & Western ward in the local elections, I wanted to pass on my thanks to all of the residents who supported me.

It is a great honour to serve my local community and I was humbled by the level of support I received. I’m looking forward to working with residents on the challenges that we face in the ward and will do all I can, alongside my fellow ward councillors, to make sure Mannington & Western remains a vibrant community, a great place for families to live and starts to get easier to drive through on days when the Outlet Village is busy!

Jim Robbins

Councillor for Mannington & Western Ward

Concerns over culture

Driving home through town from my last job the other day, my journey took me past the station.

My days out in London sprung to mind, which I love. There I can get lost in the old and the new, never a street away from a fascinating building or two.

It’s maybe a little unfair to draw comparisons with my home town, but it breaks my heart that the culture we do have, nobody cares about, has the passion or the know how, or the guts to save.

Instead our leaders talk of shiny new buildings to say “Look what we built!” How much more credit would they receive from us if they could say “Wow, look what we have saved” or “Look what we revamped.”

Perhaps then the tourist itinerary wouldn’t stop at the Outlet Village.

Like previous letters have said, it is now and future generations that will have no culture to look back on.

Once the railway town! Let’s hope that train hasn’t left yet.

Robert Webb

Park North

Swindon

Prompt and efficient

I had to visit the Civic Offices yesterday to renew my Blue Badge.

This is the first time since I retired as CEO/TC of Thamesdown Council after 23 years in the post, that I have been in the Civic Offices. I found the whole system of dealing with varied queries prompt and efficient. The staff were helpful even though the approval for a new badge is going to take some time

The Borough attracts a lot of criticism in your paper but I found the system impressive and as quick as possible. They seem to be coping very well with diminishing resources and expanding demands.

I was in post when TBC was ratecapped for the first time. It was difficult as I was sandwiched between the Government intent on sending in Commissioners, and the Council intent, for a long time, on defiance.

We can only hope that more freedom of action will be given to Councils so that they can respond to very real needs.

David M Kent

Leverton Gate

Swindon

Deserve solidarity

Michael Kemp’s attempt to link solidarity with Palestinians with the London terror attacks is beyond gross. This would be the case even if we forgot the fact that he is supporting a state (Israel) which owes its existence to the terrorist expulsion of Palestinians from their homes.

In Mr Kemp’s argument for destroying what little free speech we have left on the question of Palestine he claims that on last year’s Al Quds rally in solidarity with Palestinians, organisers used racist language. We already know that Mr Kemp believes criticising the colonial settler state of Israel is in itself racist, so we needn’t take that seriously. In fact though, there was an attempt by racists to disrupt the Al Quds march, where racists screamed that Muslims are terrorists. Some of the racists saved their bile for the Jewish attenders of that march.

Mr Kemp says police stood by as some people waved Hezbollah flags. In fact, police arrested people waving these flags. Whether or not you think they were right to do so, this is hardly standing by.

It remains the case that Israel is becoming increasingly violent and Palestinians deserve our solidarity just as black people suffering Apartheid South Africa deserved our solidarity.

Peter Smith

Woodside Avenue

Swindon

An embarrassment

So the bid for a large chunk of lottery money to open a gallery and museum in Swindon has failed. Nothing surprising there.

But what I can’t understand is why such a minority interest should have been bidding for so many millions in the first place when the rest of the town centre is such a dump. How about £12 million to rip down our disgusting bus station and build a new one instead? How about a grant to modernise the entire centre of our 1970s throwback ugly concrete eyesore? Some parts of it are an embarrassment.

They may put a shiny water feature here, stick a few lights under the path there, and knock a few buildings down.

Roger Lack

North Swindon