I have been out the country for a few days so I am grateful to James for alerting me to the fact that fear of crime has been in the news in the UK whilst I have been away by sending me this cartoon.
Gordon Brown has accused David Cameron (indirectly) of of being guilty of a "crime of fear". He went on to say "You don't tackle the fear of crime by cultivating it, by ramping up a public sense of panic, by abusing the figures and claiming our society is broken." The story in the Daily Telegraph newspaper can be found here.
This is pure electioneering of course. At least Gordon Brown has a strategy - Neighbourhood Policing with increased foot patrols. The Conservatives have not got past rhetoric yet unless I have missed something. The Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, sacked the MPS Commissioner (effectively) but has not changed any strategies or policies, reduced the MPS budget and delegated responsibility to a person who seems not to have time to attend monthly meetings.
I am not a great fan of the Labour Party but at least they have invested in policing because they appear to believe that local policing makes a difference. The Conservatives on the other hand may be less liberal in their views on criminals and the causes of crime but tend to see police as more a protector of government and privilege than a force for equality and fairness within local communities.
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