Speeches

7 February 2005

Howard: Honesty in sentencing 

"The first duty of government - any government - is to protect the public. 

Mr Blair promised that he would be "tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime". But he has failed to live up to that promise. Crime in Britain today is out of control. There is a gun crime every hour. A million violent crimes are committed every year. Fewer than one in four crimes are now cleared up.

This is the sad reality of modern Britain. Parents are afraid to let their children walk to school. Women fear intimidation from youths as they walk home at night. And couples stay in rather than run the gauntlet of the binge drinkers who have taken over many of our towns and city centres. Crime undermines the quality of all our lives - but as so often with failings in our society it is the poorest who suffer the most. 

The decline of individual responsibility, the proliferation of so-called "human rights" and government's failure to draw a clear distinction between right and wrong have left Britain in a moral quagmire - unable to get a grip on rising crime and disorder. 

Labour's decision that shoplifters should be let off with a fixed penalty fine sums up the whole problem. Just think about it: a shoplifter steals from a shop and all he or she gets is a fine - the same as we all get for parking on a yellow line. That tells you quite a lot about Mr Blair and his values. 

It's little wonder most people think our country is heading in the wrong direction. They understand that we must change track. They realise we must restore order to Britain. 
Respect for the law, respect for others and respect for property: these values are the bedrock of our society. Yes, people want freedom and opportunity, but they also crave a sense of security - the security that goes with living in a safe neighbourhood.

I don't pretend that governments have all the answers. But if they govern with the right values, they can make a real difference. Upholding the rule of law, encouraging individual responsibility, drawing a clear distinction between right and wrong - these are the right values. They are Conservative values. And they are the values of the forgotten majority, the people who make up the backbone of our country. They have been forgotten, neglected and taken for granted by Mr Blair. 

The forgotten majority work hard. They play by the rules. They take responsibility for their families. They deserve to be rewarded. But for the last seven and a half years their only reward has been higher crime and higher taxes.
My beliefs and policies are guided by the values of the forgotten majority - men and women who wear their self reliance as a badge of honour, who want choice and opportunity for their families, who respect others, their property and the rule of law.

Education 

We need to start at school. If children learn respect for authority in the classroom, they are more likely to respect others when they grow up. That is why a Conservative Government will give heads complete control over discipline in their schools. We should not allow the few to ruin the education of the majority. Head teachers know their pupils. We should trust their common sense and judgement.

We need to ensure that all children learn the basics. If you leave school unable to read, write to add up properly it is much more difficult to get a job. That is why a Conservative Government will invest in our schools, giving parents a greater choice of where and how their children are educated. Choice is a means to an end - and that end is higher standards.

If children play truant and don't even go to school, we shouldn't be surprised when they get into crime or drugs. Children who know that they are never going to make it to university are switched off by our inflexible academic curriculum, which seems only to highlight their failings. That is why a Conservative Government will give them the chance to learn a practical skill or craft at school - helping to tackle one of the causes of truancy. 

Rehab for Drug Addicts 

Everyone knows that drugs are at the root of a lot of crime. Many addicts fall into crime to feed their habits. If they're caught, I believe that they should be given a choice: prison or treatment. So we'll increase the number of residential rehab places ten fold - from 2,000 to 20,000. Drug addicts deserve a second chance - the chance to get back on the straight and narrow, to make a success of their lives.
Drugs, poor education, truancy - these are the breeding grounds for crime. 

Personal Responsibility 

But we must never forget that people are responsible for their actions. The acceptance of personal responsibility is at the heart of a successful society. Most criminals aren't stupid. They commit crime because they have calculated the risks and worked out they can get away with it. Sadly they're right. All too often crime pays in Britain today.
If we are to cut crime and restore order to Britain, criminals need to know that if they commit crime they will be caught, convicted and punished.

More Police 

That is why I will put more police on the beat - 5,000 more police every year. Put more police on the streets and they'll catch more criminals. It's not rocket science. And I'll cut away at the paperwork which keeps the police chained to their desks. 

I want the police out on our streets - working with local communities - challenging and confronting every sort of crime and disorder, from graffiti and litter to burglary and robbery. There's an expression for it - zero tolerance policing. That's why I will get rid of the absurd form that the police now have to fill in every time they stop someone - that's right just stop someone, not stop and search. 
And when criminals are caught, they need to be punished. Some people think punishment is a dirty word. But I believe that as a society we have to draw a clear distinction between right and wrong. We have to send a clear, unequivocal message to criminals - actions have consequences. 

For some first time offenders that may mean a caution: for drug addicts, rehabilitation; for less serious criminals perhaps a community punishment.

Prison for Persistent and Dangerous Criminals 
But persistent and dangerous criminals should be sent to prison. The public needs protection from them. A hard core of persistent criminals commit most of the crime in Britain today. If they are in prison they cannot commit more crime against the public.

Under Labour, prison building has not kept up with the rise in crime. As a consequence our prisons are overcrowded. Prisoners are now being released early to cope with the problem. And the courts are increasingly unable to sentence persistent offenders to prison. As if this wasn't bad enough, Labour have now set an arbitrary limit of around 80,000 on the prison population. 

This is a very dangerous approach. It is storing up huge problems for the future. Yes prison building costs money. Of course no-one likes having to build more prisons. But the first duty of government is to protect the public. And the only guaranteed way to do that is to put serious, persistent and dangerous criminals behind bars. Build more prisons and fewer criminals will be free to commit crime. It's common sense. 

Prison also sends a powerful message to those outside prison - crime doesn't pay. The cost to society of failing to take action is far greater than the actual cost of building prisons. That is why a Conservative Government will invest in more prison places - 20,000 more prison places.

Abolition of Early Release 

More prison places will enable us to scrap Labour's early release scheme. Since it was introduced in 1999, over 3,500 crimes have been committed by criminals let out early - 500 of them were violent crimes. When I asked him about this last summer, Mr Blair tried to brush the problem aside saying "fewer than 2 per cent [of criminals on early release] re-offend". That's precious little comfort if you are one of the victims of their re-offending - people who need never have become victims in the first place. 

Mandatory Minimum Sentences 

More prison places will enable us to introduce mandatory minimum sentences for hardened drug dealers and burglars. The certainty of automatic minimum sentences will act as a powerful deterrent. 

Anyone who has had their home broken into and had precious possessions stolen knows how devastating burglary is. And we all know how drugs can blight people's lives. 

The truth is that most burglary is committed by a small percentage of career burglars. Much the same is true of drug dealers. If you take these professional criminals out of circulation - they cannot commit more crime.

I believe that burglars should automatically get at least three years for their third conviction and dealers in hard drugs should get at least seven years for their third conviction. That will send a clear message - if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

Honesty in Sentencing 

More prisons places will enable a Conservative Government to introduce honesty in sentencing. Sentencing today is a charade - in fact it's worse than that. It's a lie. 

Everyone knows that prisoners rarely if ever serve the sentences that are handed out by the judges. Nothing does more to undermine confidence in our criminal justice system than victims seeing offenders walk free from prison having served as little as half their sentence. 
Honesty matters. 

A Conservative Government will introduce the principle of honesty in sentencing. Judges will sentence offenders to a minimum and maximum number of years in prison. The minimum sentence will be served in full. Prisoners who behave well and are no longer a danger to the public will be released at the end of their minimum sentence. Prisoners who misbehave in prison or remain a danger to the public will serve their maximum sentence in full. 

Prison Discipline 

And zero tolerance should apply just as much in prison as on our streets. We will drug test all prisoners on arrival - and test them regularly throughout their sentence. Recent reports from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons suggest that drug testing in prisons - which I introduced - is not being effectively implemented. And how many people know that when prisoners commit crimes against other inmates, they are rarely prosecuted? 

It's quite wrong that government should turn a blind eye when the rules are broken. It sends out all the wrong signals. It brings our law into disrepute. A Conservative Government will ensure that prisoners who commit crime will be prosecuted.

Some commentators believe that rising crime is an inevitable part of a modern society. It's exactly what I was told by Home Office officials when I became Home Secretary. But let's be quite clear - rising crime is not inevitable. It is not like the British weather - something we moan about but cannot change. 

We can cut crime. When I was Home Secretary, crime fell by 18 per cent. That had never happened before. And it has not happened since. So I know how to get the job done. You need to have a clear sense of direction, you need to follow through what you start and you need to focus relentlessly on the detail.
My message today is for the millions of decent people who want a government that gets a grip on crime. 

The Liberal Democrats won't. Charles Kennedy thinks we should get rid of the automatic life sentences for murderers and rapists. He doesn't think burglars should go to prison. 

Mr Blair won't. He may talk tough but just look at what has happened. The police spend as much time behind their desks as they do out on the beat. Shoplifters are to get fines for stealing. Judges are told not to send criminals to jail because the prisons are full. Thousands of crimes are committed by prisoners released early from prison. Mr Blair has had eight years to get a grip on crime and he has failed to fix it. 

So, whatever party you voted for last time, if you are worried about what is happening in Britain today, if you dream of the day when you can let your children walk home safely from school, my message is for you. It is a simple message. I believe that people who break the law must pay a price.

In recent years, that clear message has become shrouded in political correctness. Most people feel that the law is not really on their side. They think that the punishment no longer fits the crime. 

All my political life I have stood up for people who play by the rules, respect others and pay their dues. If I am given the opportunity to serve my country, I will ensure that at long last their rights come first. 

People will face a clear choice at the next election: a Conservative Government that gets a grip on crime and disorder or just more talk from Mr Blair."

Rt Hon
Michael Howard QC MP