To what extent has new labour been tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime?

Chris Swainland 10/05/07

New labour has used effective methods of dealing with crime in the UK. There is a clear effort to be tough on crime and its causes, by new labour “Tough on crime tough on the causes of crime” T. Blair. New labour has attempted to appease conservative middle class views of crime after the success in New York under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani e.g. zero tolerance. However new labour still have old labour and conservative ideologies and acknowledges that the social causes of crime e.g. redistribution of wealth, equal opportunity i.e. education and employment and a general attack on poverty is Just as important as the tough approach.

Since the reformation of the labour party, it has pushed law and order up the political agenda. In 1998 the Crime and Disorder Act was introduced. The purpose of this Act was to tackle Crime and Disorder and help to create safer communities. The 1998 Act also provided additional powers for agencies to use when carrying out their work to reduce crime, such as sharing information without fear of contravening the Data Protection Act and introducing Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. This act, introduced by new labour was a clear message that they are tough on crime, “To say we will tolerate a certain level of crime is absurd” Blair 97. The act also includes a youth justice system; the principal aim of the youth justice system is to prevent offending by children and young people. Local authorities are placed under a duty to ensure the availability of appropriate youth justice services and police, probation and health authorities are required to participate in local arrangements for youth justice. Therefore this part of the act is evidence that new labour is both tough on crime and its causes.

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New labour has also addressed racial issues that have sent out the message that new labour is tough on crime. The Macpherson report delivered a damning assessment of the "institutional racism" within the Metropolitan police and policing generally. It made 70 recommendations many aimed specifically at improving police attitudes to racism and stressed the importance of a rapid increase in the numbers of black and Asian police officers. The government pledged to increase the number of officers from minority ethnic groups from around 2,500 to 8,000 by 2009.

As well as recommendations relating to the police, the Macpherson report also ...

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As well as recommendations relating to the police, the Macpherson report also proposed changing some laws. The most controversial proposal was to amend the law of 'double jeopardy' (probably because of film!) so that in certain circumstances a person could be tried twice for the same crime. In March this year, the Law Commission (the statutory body charged with recommending legal reforms to government) backed the proposal. A response from government is expected by the autumn. A second controversial proposal - that of making the use of racist language in private a criminal offence - is also being considered.

However new labour has stumbled on one area, according to new labour, “prison is an expensive way of making bad people worse”. However, nearly two-thirds of Britain's prisoners are being held in overcrowded jails. The Howard League for Penal Reform says 52,500 people are in jails running above capacity. In some instances, prisons are holding almost double the number of recommended inmates the worst is HMP Preston with 661 prisoners - but only 356 places.

The government's drive to recruit more police officers and giving them more power appears to be paying off, with the biggest increase in numbers for 20 years with the Metropolitan police up 2.8% to 25,374 and the introduction of 3200 community support officers also is a visible way in which new labour are tough on crime. However British police still have a lot of catching up to do with other countries e.g. France has % more police per thousand of the population.

Labour has also attempted to reduce crime through the welfare state and this is an example of labour being tough on the causes of crime. Old labour ideologies have stuck and that the redistribution of wealth and opportunity among all individuals would prevent crime. The ‘New Deal’ scheme is a key part of the Government's strategy to get people back to work and therefore deter those struggling on unemployment benefits from finding alternative means of income. It gives people on benefits the help and support they need to look for work, including training and job preparation.

Thanks to extra spending on the Child Tax Credit of nearly a billion pounds, the government looks set to hit its interim target of reducing child poverty by a quarter by April 2005.

That's over a million children lifted out of poverty, and child poverty at its lowest level since 1989. Nursery facilities are also improved and increased and therefore children can start education early and are less likely to be tempted by crime (start winning from the fruit machine!).

Considering economic hindrances e.g. more police officer costs money, and social hindrances e.g. erosion of civil liberties, the labour government have been successful at being tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. I believe that new labour have been tough on crime and acts such as the, ant-terrorism act 2001 and the 1998 crime and disorder act are measures of ensuring new labour are tough on crime. New labour is also working towards being tough on the causes of crime e.g. the minimum wage and arresting parents whose children are truants, however the extent will only be revealed in the long-term.