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The Prosser Perspective.... a weekly column from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser

6 November 2008

Last weekend I spent a bit of time with our local Police Community Support Officers and Members of the Town Council in Dover where they were conducting a survey of local people about policing antisocial behaviour and how safe residents felt walking about in Dover.

And this week in Westminster Jack Straw has been setting out the Government’s approach to the justice system: using fair rules to punish those who break the law, but giving them the chance to reform.

Jack has pledged to build on Labour’s reforms to give victims an even stronger voice within government and beyond and he’s introduced a series of new initiatives like Offender Compacts, Dedicated Drug Courts and Intensive Community Sentences.

Offender compacts are a way of setting strict standards of behaviour expected of prisoners whilst in custody and on release. The expectation is that prisoners will not only maintain good behaviour in prison but will also commit to reform.

Dedicated Drug Courts have been on test in West London for some time, they have shown to be successful so now they are being rolled out to other cities with the prospect of them being eventually becoming a nationwide facility.

The new Intensive Community Sentences (ICS) are also being piloted to access their effectiveness. In this project offenders receive intensive rehabilitation and supervision over a shorter period of time and many of those receiving ICS will also be tagged and managed under a strict curfew regime.

The intention is to provide levels of punishments and support that will be effective in cutting re-offending for a difficult group of persistent offenders.

The projects emphasise the need for offenders to be immediately and intensively supervised, given demanding and structured activity and left in no doubt about the consequences of non-compliance.

When an offender is found guilty they are referred to one of these Dedicated Drug Court for sentence. The Court encourages closer working across agencies and treatment providers and introduces continuity of judiciary- the same magistrates or district judge will sentence the offender and review the progress of offenders on community orders with a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement. As well as these reviews, offenders will be required to undergo regular drug tests. Wherever possible the same magistrates or District Judge will deal with any breaches and re-sentence if necessary, considering all the options including custody.

We are also taking tougher action on people who abuse our hospitality. Coming to the UK is a privilege and it is right that we refuse to extend that privilege to individuals who abuse our standards and values and undermine our way of life. There should be no place in our society for people who encourage violence and that’s why I’m supporting Labour's tough new measures to crack down on the preachers of hatred like Omar Bakri Mohammed.

The Government is investing nearly £14 million of new money into these new strategies but they will only be effective if we get our local policing priorities right and that’s why the work being done by the Dover Crime Reduction Partnership is so important.