Police cuts

Should the national Police cuts imposed by the Coalition Government be slavishly applied in Bromley?

Despite well publicised crime in Shortlands, and the rioting and looting that went on in the borough, local police teams will be losing local Police Sergeants.

A Tory led council has proved to be no defence against these cuts.

We must ensure that those in charge listen to reason. The Labour Group and I think that to slash funding for youth groups, together with cutting police numbers is a recipe for more unrest, like the riots we witnessed in August. Add to that, the total number of 16 to 24 year-olds without a job rose to 972,000 in the three months to July this year.

Youth Clubs in Bromley are being closed, and police numbers being cut. I don’t think it’s difficult to work out that this will lead to young people feeling more frustrated and angry. There is no justification for the crime that went on during the riots, but shouldn’t we expect our leaders to consider the reasons why young people felt they needed to take to the streets?

Youth Clubs won’t solve the problem, but closing them will only add to young people’s frustration.