The leader of Burntwood Town Council has said she is impressed by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to tackle crime and make streets feel safer.
Cllr Sue Woodward and husband Cllr Steven Norman travelled to Stoke-on-Trent for an event this week which saw party members gather from across the country.
Sir Keir gave a speech where he set out a series of pledges on policing. He said confidence in the police is in decline under the Tories, adding that everyone he meets has a story about unanswered calls or missed opportunities to follow-up on problems.
He pledged 30,000 new police officers nationally to tackle this and also spoke about modernising forces and reducing things like anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, off-road biking and drug use.
“Some people call this low level. I do not want to hear those words.
“There’s a family in my constituency and every night cannabis smoke creeps in from the street into their children’s bedrooms.
“That’s not low level, it’s ruining their lives. We won’t pull any punches on this.
“We’ll get clever with fixed penalty notices. If you want to commit vandalism or dump your rubbish on our streets then you’d better be prepared to clear up your mess.
“Cleaner streets are safer streets.”
Sir Keir Starmer
Cllr Woodward, who has also been confirmed as a Labour candidate fighting for a seat on Lichfield District Council in May, said she was “impressed” by his speech.
“He’s actually put some drive into what we’ve already been saying about a safer Lichfield district, a cleaner and greener Lichfield district.
“I was really impressed by the comment ‘cleaner streets are safer streets’ because I think the pride you develop in an area is really important.
“That’s certainly what we’ve tried to do as a town council in Burntwood and what we would want to do as a district council in Lichfield.”
Cllr Sue Woodward, Burntwood Town Council
Other measures announced by Sir Keir Starmer include providing specialist domestic abuse staff in every police control room to respond to 999 calls and support victims of domestic violence.
“The current prosecution rates are a disgrace. We all know how hard it is for women to come forward, the criminal justice system only ever sees the tip of the iceberg in terms of sexual violence.”
Sir Keir Starmer
Cllr Woodward said the fact Staffordshire Police were in special measures showed that the Tories had not provided sufficient support to forces across the country.
“Rather than coasting along, we need some more drive to make sure everybody feels safe.”
Cllr Sue Woodward, Burntwood Town Council
