Tories plan to let police dole out 'immediate justice' to yobs with new powers to make offenders clean up graffiti and litter - and clamp down on cannabis use
The Tories would allow police to dole out 'immediate justice' for low-level offences and crack down on cannabis as part of their policing strategy.
The Conservatives pledged to recruit 10,000 extra police officers and order hotspot patrolling in the 2,000 neighbourhoods with the highest rates of crime.
They would also triple the use of stop and search and expand the use of live facial recognition – which has already been trialled in Croydon and is being piloted by British Transport Police (BTP) at some London stations.
And they would give police powers to issue community sentences – such as cleaning graffiti and tidying parks – for offences including criminal damage, harassment without violence and first-time drug possession without going to court.
Under the plans, police would be required to intervene in all cases of cannabis possession rather than give informal warnings.
They also plan to update the law and raise penalties for dangerous behaviour on e-bikes.
Party leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'People across Britain want the same basic thing - to feel safe in their own streets and communities.
'But Labour are more concerned with playing nice and worrying about the "rights" of criminals than standing up for the people who play by the rules.
The Conservatives pledged to recruit 10,000 extra police officers and order hotspot patrolling in the 2,000 neighbourhoods with the highest rates of crime
Party leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'People across Britain want the same basic thing - to feel safe in their own streets and communities'
'Conservatives are clear about whose side we are on and we will always support those who work hard and do the right thing.'
Labour's policing plans including boosting numbers of neighbourhood police and police community support officers (PCSOs) by 13,000.
Sarah Jones, minister for crime, policing and fire, said Labour's Crime and Policing Bill would crack down on anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, violence against women and girls, knife crime and child abuse.
She said: 'Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives decimated neighbourhood policing and left our criminal justice system on the verge of collapse.
'Now they want the public to believe they can fix the dire situation they caused. Rather than lecturing others, they should be apologising to the communities and victims of crime they so badly let down.'
