Restoring confidence in the justice system

The House of Commons has recently been voting on various amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. Although controversial with some – often on unfounded fears when one looks at the detail and the protections – I was elected on a manifesto to restore confidence in the criminal justice system and this Bill delivers on that pledge.

An accompanying increase in funding for the police and the recruitment of 20,000 police officers alongside the £4billion investment in extra prison places will help ensure these reforms are successful.

We are already seeing the benefits of this locally, with Sussex Police having recruited an additional 330 officers since 2019.

I am also delighted that Sussex Police have been awarded almost £2million funding by the government to go towards their Violence Reduction Unit which tackles serious assaults and homicides.

These units and ‘hotspot policing’ initiatives have prevented 49,000 violent offences across the country since they were set up in 2019, so this funding will be a direct help to keep our county safe.

Nationally, the government has announced plans to reform penalties for drug-drivers.

Offenders will have to complete rehabilitation courses before being allowed back behind the wheel.

While drink-drive deaths have thankfully reduced significantly on our roads, more than 700 people were seriously injured in drug drive collisions in 2020 and police arrests are also on the rise.

There is no room to be lax on drug driving and I want to help protect our road users from this hidden problem by stamping it out for good.

Having accompanied Sussex Police on patrol for ‘Op Downsway’ – their initiative to make South Downs’ road users safer – I have seen the damage caused by impaired drivers first hand, and fully support these measures to crack down on dangerous driving.

In related news, I welcome that BT have apologised and halted their removal of landlines, following some vulnerable customers being unable to call 999 for help during power cuts caused by storms Arwen and Eunice.

In rural areas without full mobile coverage, landlines are quite literally a lifeline in instances where the emergency services are required, so it is important that BT and other providers get this transition to newer technologies right, including with the rollout of longer-life batteries to guard against such situations.