Lib Dem Anglin slams Labour's police cuts in Lambeth

5.47.56pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 6th Apr 2005

Charles Anglin, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Vauxhall, has slammed Home Secretary Charles Clarke's decision to slash funding for tackling street crime in Lambeth. Last year's Met budget of £11.5m for Operation Safer Streets has been cut to £1.1million - a decrease of 90%. The result is that Lambeth's 40-strong street crime squad has been disbanded from April 1st.

Lambeth has seen dramatic falls of 48% in street crime since May 2002, when the new Lib Dem-led Council began working with the police. Much of that was made possible by a special increase of police numbers, with a new squad of 40 officers stationed at the Cavendish Road Police Station in Clapham.

Anglin said "This is barmy. Lambeth needs more police, not less. We've begun to turn the corner in cutting street crime but we still need to keep up the pressure on muggers and drug dealers." Anglin added "Why are we being punished for success? Now is not the time to cut back on the fight against crime in Lambeth."

You can sign our online petition against the cuts by clicking on the link in the menu to the left.