‘Robbery made me determined to make streets safe’
THE shadow justice secretary says his experience of being violently robbed at knifepoint made him appreciate how important it is to be able to feel safe on Britain’s streets.
He has vowed to build more jails to ensure criminals receive the punishment they deserve.
Steve Reed, 59, was scared to go out at night after muggers beat him up and held a knife to his throat two decades ago. Now he is in charge of Labour’s plans to punish and rehabilitate offenders.
He said: “We need more cells. Offenders are getting away without the jail sentences their crimes deserve because judges have been told to avoid sending them to overcrowded prisons.”
The nation’s jails have room for 85,552 inmates, but the Ministry for Justice admits the prison population is on course to reach more than 89,100 by November.
Judges were warned about sending criminals to jail in a letter from then-justice secretary Dominic Raab to the Lord Chief Justice in February. Mr Raab stated: “You will appreciate that operating very close to prison capacity will have consequences for the conditions in which prisoners are held.”
However, speaking to the Sunday Express, Croydon North MP Mr
Reed said: “We will prioritise getting cells built so there are places to send offenders to. The number of offenders avoiding prison is a sign of a broken criminal justice system.
“They will commit more crimes and put the public at risk.
“They would not be offending if they were locked behind bars.”
Recalling his own encounter with violent crime, he said: “I did once get attacked at knifepoint. I was living in Clapham and walking back from Brixton after a barbecue.
“A couple of guys jumped out on me when I walked round a corner – knife to my throat.
“They took what I had, punched me in the stomach and ran off.”
He called the police and an officer took him in a patrol car to look round the neighbourhood, but the offenders were nowhere to be seen.
“I got back home, looked in the mirror and saw a nick on my neck caused by the knife.
“It was only at that point that I felt fear for what might have happened.
“For some time afterward I was reluctant to walk out in the dark.
“I know what it feels like when you don’t feel safe on the streets. I know many people feel that way today.”
‘We will get cells built’