Sajid Javid vows to recruit 20,000 extra police in his bid to become Prime Minister
SAJID Javid will lay out his bid to become Prime Minister by vowing to recruit 20,000 extra police officers - and put bobbies on the beat “in every corner of the country”.
The Home Secretary promises that if he makes it to No.10, he will spend £1 billion over three years on a hiring spree that ends the “culture of impunity” enjoyed by criminals.
And he hints at his huge frustration with Theresa May and Chancellor Philip Hammond for failing to do more to tackle the bloodshed on Britain’s streets.
Writing for The Sun as the Tory leadership race explodes into life, he argues that he has been fighting for more cops for the past year.
And he flatly contradicts Mrs May – who has repeatedly denied cuts are to blame for the rise in serious violence – by saying there is an obvious link between police numbers and violence.
Mr Javid says: “More police on the beat means less crime on our streets.
“Not exactly rocket science is it?
“But what’s obvious to Sun readers in towns and cities across the country is not quite as clear cut in the rarefied corridors of Westminster and Whitehall – and it’s time for that to change.”
He adds: “I would make police numbers a top priority. And continue work to peel back layers of bureaucracy.”
“That means 20,000 more coppers. Not sat behind desks, but pounding the pavements.
"It’s what the police want, it’s what the public wants, and it’s what I will deliver.
I want to end the culture of impunity that criminals increasingly feel as a result of lack of police presence
Sajid Javid, Home Secretary
“I want to see a return to bobbies on the beat in every corner of the country.
“In cities, towns, villages and the countryside I want the public to feel the confidence that comes from seeing police officers in their communities – and I want to end the culture of impunity that criminals increasingly feel as a result of lack of police presence.”
Hiring 20,000 more police officers would restore police numbers to the levels last seen in 2010, before David Cameron’s austerity programme.
Mr Javid – whose brother Bas is a chief superintendent in the West Midlands – warns that without it, the Conservatives risk seeing their hard won reputation as the party for law and order torn to shreds.
Tragic figures last month revealed knife crime has soared to a record high and the UK murder rate a 10-year high.
Screen battle
BROADCASTERS slugged it out to announce their Tory leadership telly debates.
The BBC, Sky and ITV all rushed to unveil their plans for head-to-head showdowns with the wannabe PMs.
And a source close to Boris Johnson denied he was the only one of the contenders who did not want to take part.
The BBC confirmed it was planning a debate with all the candidates in mid-June, presented by Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis.
The Beeb added the final two will then go head-to-head in a Question Time special.
Sky News will also air a showdown with the final two, while ITV is planning a head-to-head debate too.
It has emerged the number of Met Police officers on long-term sick has doubled in the past four years as they struggle to cope with the “war zone” on London’s streets.
Allies said the pledge is the first of a number of “radical” ideas that are aimed to connect with hard-working Brits.
But it also reflects a recognition that the Home Secretary - a one-time frontrunner – risks falling behind rivals such as Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Health Secretary Matt Hancock in the race to sign up Tory MPs.
'HEAL THE DIVIDES'
Tory MPs through a series of knock-out votes determine the final two candidates who then take their case to the Tory party membership – who decide the winner.
One MP said: “Boris is clearly out in front, but there a lot of MPs flitting between Sajid, Michael Gove and (Matt) Hancock. It’s all to play for.”
All leading candidates are expected to switch their focus from Brexit and onto domestic policy in the coming days.
Arch-Eurosceptic Dominic Raab is working on a string of new policies for this weekend after already pledging to slash income tax, cut stamp duty and pay teachers more in tougher schools.
Ex-Minister Esther McVey has promised to slash the overseas aid budget by £7 billion to free up money for schools, police and prison officers.
Mr Javid formally launched his leadership bid on Monday – vowing to “heal the divides” and unify the party.
He insisted his priority would be to deliver Brexit to “renew trust” in democracy.
As the son of two poor Pakistani migrants, the 49 year-old Cabinet high flier also pledged to use No.10 to repay the opportunity Britain gave his family.
Speaking earlier this year he said the rise in street violence kept him awake at night worrying about his teenage daughter.
'We can't go on like this'
By Sajid Javid
MORE police on the beat means less crime on our streets.
Not exactly rocket science, is it?
But what’s obvious to Sun readers in towns and cities across the country is not quite as clear-cut in the corridors of Westminster and Whitehall — and it’s time for that to change.
The increase in sickening violence like knife crime has rightly caused national alarm. Just like you, my heart breaks when I see reports of yet another young life cut short.
I’ve sat with countless bereaved families who have lost loved ones to knife crime, often just teenagers no older then my own kids.
We can’t go on like this. And that’s why, if I become Prime Minister, I’ll make the fight against crime a central priority.
But to win that fight we need bobbies on the beat, with the legal power and political support they need to make a difference.
Long before I became Home Secretary I understood the vital role police played thanks to my brother Bas, a Chief Superintendent in the West Midlands.
I’ve heard about the terrible situations he and his colleagues have found themselves in.
And when we get together it never takes him long to tell me how much harder his job has got — and how much of the blame for that lies at the door of well-meaning but out-of-touch politicians.
From the day I became Home Secretary, I’ve done everything I can to turn that around. I’ve changed the law to make it easier for police to confiscate weapons like so-called “death stars” and “zombie knives”.
I’ve introduced knife-crime Asbos to protect vulnerable kids and direct them on to better paths.
And I’ve given police more powers to confiscate acid and corrosive substances before they can be used as weapons.
I’ve also made it easier for the police to increase their use of stop and search.
I know this is not popular with everyone. Some people fear it will lead to greater tensions between the police and youngsters from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.
While I understand this, it pales into insignificance next to the horrific fact that you are four times more likely to die from serious violence if you are black than if you are white.
In London alone, a 30 per cent increase in stop and search saw a 15 per cent drop in knife wounds in youngsters.
Yes, it has been abused in the past. But, unlike some politicians, I trust officers to exercise their judgment and I will always back them in their use of intelligence-led stop and search.
The changes I’ve secured as Home Secretary were hard fought and will make a real difference. But when you get out of the office and ask police officers what they want most from the Government the answer is always the same: more colleagues.
As Home Secretary I’ve been making this case for the past year. As Prime Minister, I’d put the money in to make it happen.
And I’d continue work to peel back layers of bureaucracy that have crept up over decades so police can concentrate on policing, not paperwork.
That means 20,000 more coppers. Not sat behind desks, but pounding the pavements. It’s what the police want, it’s what the public wants, and it’s what I will deliver.
I want to see a return to bobbies on the beat in every corner of the country. In cities, towns, villages and the countryside, I want the public to feel the confidence that comes from seeing officers in their communities.
And I want to end the culture of impunity criminals increasingly feel as a result of lack of police presence.
As Prime Minister, I want to put opportunity at the heart of everything I do.
But we can only give people the chance to get on if we give them the safety and security that they deserve.
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Writing for The Sun, he says he has sat with “countless bereaved families who have lost loved ones to knife crime”.
And he adds: “We can’t go on like this and that’s why if I become Prime Minister I’ll make the fight against crime a central priority of the government I lead.”
“The Conservatives have long been the party of law and order and unless we act boldly now we will lose that reputation.”
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