Crime, particularly violent crime, antisocial behaviour, and theft, has risen sharply in recent years, eroding public safety and community confidence. Too many offenders escape meaningful punishment, police are overstretched and bogged down in bureaucracy, and victims feel abandoned by the justice system.

We will adopt a zero-tolerance approach: tougher sentencing, more visible policing, and swift justice to deter criminals and protect law-abiding citizens.

Our key measures to reduce crime include:

• Put More Police on the Streets

  Recruit thousands of additional officers, cut paperwork, and refocus policing on prevention and rapid response rather than non-crime duties.

  Advantages: Greater visibility and deterrence, faster response times, and rebuilt public trust in the police.

• Tougher Sentences and End Early Release

  Introduce mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders, knife crime, and violent offences; scrap automatic early release for serious criminals.

  Advantages: Stronger deterrence, longer removal of dangerous individuals from society, and justice for victims.

• Crack Down on Antisocial Behaviour

  Restore powers for on-the-spot fines, dispersal orders, and community payback; empower councils and police to tackle low-level disorder before it escalates.

  Advantages: Cleaner, safer neighbourhoods and prevention of the “broken windows” spiral into serious crime.

• Reform Prisons and Rehabilitation

  Expand prison capacity, improve education and work programmes inside, and introduce stricter drug testing and regime discipline.

  Advantages: Reduced reoffending through genuine rehabilitation while ensuring prisons punish as well as reform.

• Put Victims First

  We will put victims at the heart of the justice system. Where offenders have caused harm, the courts will impose realistic compensation orders as standard. These payments will be automatically deducted from the offender’s wages or benefits after release, with priority over other debts. A protected minimum income will be safeguarded so that offenders can still afford basic living costs and have a genuine chance to reform. No victim should be left to bear the financial and emotional cost of crime alone.

  Advantages: This approach delivers fairer outcomes for victims and sends a clear message that our justice system will finally put the innocent before the guilty.