I created my 6-Point Plan for the Loughborough constituency at the 2019 General Election to ensure that I focus my time as MP on what matters most to local residents. The 6 categories are: town centre improvement; a chance to succeed; a healthy local economy; better broadband; tackling crime and anti-social behaviour; and a place that is home. You can read more details about each point here: www.janehunt.uk
Given its impact on local residents, one of the most urgent points I have been working on is tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and I wanted to provide an update on my work in this area.
At a recent meeting, Leicestershire Police Federation informed me that a great deal of police time is spent redacting data in preparation for a charging decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). While case files should be redacted following a charging decision to protect the data of everyone involved, 25% of cases never lead to a charge – police time which would better spent on the frontline tackling crime and keeping our local community safe. I have, therefore, submitted an amendment to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill to allow case files to be redacted only after a charging decision is made.
Furthermore, back in 2011, when I was a local Borough Councillor, I called for reform of prison release dates. I have continued to press for this and recently supported the Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill, which changes the day prisoners are released to a Thursday, allowing them time to access vital services. This will reduce the risk of them reoffending and committing further crimes locally.
I have also been supporting a local resident’s noVANber campaign which highlights the shocking reality of the impact of tool thefts from vans on local tradespeople. I, therefore, welcomed the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill, which contains measures to deter the theft of agricultural machinery, and I have been pressing for the Bill to be extended to cover tool thefts from vans to better protect tradespeople’s livelihoods.
These are all examples of how legislative reform on a national level can bring about positive and direct change on the levels of crime and antisocial behaviour in our local community. I look forward to finding other ways to improve this in Loughborough, and would encourage you to visit my website to be kept up to date on my work.
