Labour wants to ‘take back our streets’: Will this help people affected by crime?

Cathy Haenlein, the director of organised crime and policing studies at the Royal United Services Institute, said when a government increases the number police officers, it can result in longer court backlogs and another prison crisis. “Police, courts, prisons – all of these areas are inter-related. The challenge is to make sure actions don’t have unintended consequences, such as exacerbating backlogs in courts or pressure on prisons. We’ve already seen police recently asked to arrest fewer offenders. Swiftness and certainty of punishment are the important factors in terms of deterrence. If the whole system is not working this is unlikely to be achieved,” she said.