Liberal Democrat Police and Crime Commissioner candidate David Goodall has challenged Conservative candidate Michael Mates to back measures that help local police catch criminals who flee overseas, tackle cross-border crime and kick out foreign criminals convicted in the UK. These measures have been hugely successful in recent years in breaking up paedophile rings, preventing terrorism and bringing criminals who flee across borders to swift justice.
David Goodall is also calling on all candidates to join him in writing to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister calling on them to keep local people safe by ensuring local police can still benefit from fast and effective international police co-operation.
In February 2012, 102 Conservative MPs have called on the Government to withdraw from all European cross-border policing and justice measures, including Penny Mordaunt, MP for Portsmouth; Steve Brine, MP for Winchester; Julian Lewis, MP for New Forrest East; Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport; George Hollingbery, MP for Meon Valley.
Contrastingly in August 2012, 13 former UK police chiefs recently wrote to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister warning that pulling out of these key measures would put public safety at risk.
Commenting, David Goodall said:
“Michael Mates must choose: are you on the side of the Europhobes in your party or keeping people in Hampshire and Isle of Wight safe?”
“These international policing measures are an essential tool for the Police in Hampshire and Isle of Wight to break up paedophile rings, stop criminals fleeing to the Costa del Crime and deporting dangerous foreign criminals from our streets. It is outrageous that some Conservatives think we can abandon them.”
“Some Conservatives are so determined to pull out of anything that has the word European attached to it that they are prepared to seriously weaken our ability to keep our citizens safe and bring criminals to justice.”
“We need to put policing before politics. Crime crosses borders, justice should too.”
