‘Crimes unsolved, police unrest – how Labour can fix our justice system’

When police officers lose confidence in the justice system, things have gone badly wrong. It’s currently in such chaos that Met firearms officers have no faith in one of their own receiving justice.

Once again, the Tories have decimated our criminal justice system, and only Labour can rebuild it with any credibility.

Every time the Tories take power, they push society to breaking point. This time, they’ve cut off policing and justice from the communities they are meant to serve. The public is losing confidence in policing, and both the public and police are losing faith in the justice system.

I firmly believe there can be no criminal justice without social justice and no social justice without an effective criminal justice system.

The last Labour government made good policing a progressive cause

Labour has a strong track record of making communities safer and stronger. I grew up under Thatcher. I remember what it was like before Labour came into power: high interest rates, people in poverty and communities set against each other with levels of crime and disorder rocketing.

In 1997, the people of the UK spoke, and Labour finally took back control. We committed to being tough on crime and, crucially, tough on the causes of crime. Prior to this, the police were traditionally considered to be pro-Tory.

But those officers who cared about their communities saw that Labour understood what was needed to ensure reducing crime wasn’t just a matter for the police but all public services. We delivered ground-breaking legislation through the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act, enshrining community safety partnership working, and establishing devolution, bringing decisions and democracy closer to communities.

Labour policy was making a real difference to our communities across Wales.

A good criminal justice system understands the systemic nature of many issues

Positive mental well-being, a good education, decent housing and tackling poverty are all crucial to ensuring people are at lower risk of entering the criminal justice system, and it is only Labour that is prepared to address these issues in a whole system approach to justice.

Heart-breakingly, in just 13 short but painful years, the Tories have managed to reverse much of the progress made by Labour.

In England, the Tories slashed community policing before eventually reversing the decision, creating a new set of crises around rapid recruitment and hurried vetting and training. Welsh Labour mitigated the worst of the cuts in Wales, funding hundreds of Police Community Support Officers to keep that vital connection with communities.

Tory policing fails and criminalises people it should protect

UK government Tory policy criminalises our young people, women and our more vulnerable members of society – their version of society fails them, puts them at risk of being pulled into the criminal justice system and then punishes them again.

In Wales, Welsh Labour have maintained a focus on early years, improving the well-being of our communities now and for future generations. We have produced a blueprint for women in the justice system and children within the youth justice system, understanding how inequity and vulnerability increase the risk of ending up in the criminal justice system.

Labour understands the vital connection between justice, social justice and community – that sense of ownership, inclusion and shared responsibility.

Only Labour understands the connection between social and criminal justice

The Brown Commission report was recently published. Titled “A New Britain: Renewing our Democracy and Rebuilding our Economy”, it highlights an unequal, unfair society resulting in untapped potential, an over-centralised system open to abuse, a lack of trust, and the need for the right powers in the right place.

As members, we need to talk more about the connection between social justice and criminal justice. We must remind people of the difference we have previously made and inspire them with a clear and progressive vision of how we will renew our justice system.

Baroness Louise Casey’s damning report into the Met Police underlines the UK’s capital “no longer has a functioning neighbourhood policing service” and suffers from weakened links between its officers and the community. While the Met has long-standing issues to address, such as institutional racism, the decline in neighbourhood policing has been a direct consequence of Tory cuts.

Policing is understandably the starting point for many people. Where would I start? By setting out what Labour will be doing on:

• Restoring Trust – Labour policy will put ethics at the heart of policing;

• Prioritising communities & reconnecting our police with what matters to people;

• Tackling crime and reducing offending through social justice, making all our communities fairer, safer and stronger.

Many of our police officers do the job because they care deeply about the people they are there to serve and protect. Labour governments show we value that, and we will once again restore confidence in them and the wider justice system.