As part of NationalWorld’s Silent Crime campaign, residents went to the the Home Office to speak to Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper and Policing Minister Diana Johnson.
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00:00There is no response from the police to ordinary crime.
00:04And as a police officer who's very proud to be a police officer,
00:08it saddens me. And what worries me is you start to do things,
00:12and I'm so pleased you are going to do things.
00:15If you don't lift the spirits of those rank-and-file officers,
00:19they will just think, oh God, we've got another thing to do.
00:23You have to take them with you because they are demoralised.
00:27I don't feel safe to go out. I was just saying before,
00:30I will not go down to Blackpool Town Centre on my own
00:34because I don't feel safe, and it shouldn't have to be like that.
00:37My town's in my constituency, which is West Yorkshire,
00:40and Diana said they feel the same in Hull,
00:43and it's the same things right round the country.
00:46Talk to people in Norwich, talk to people in Burnage.
00:49All over the country, you have the same sorts of stories.
00:52Town centres, neighbourhood police, we don't see the police on the beat.
00:56We're just determined to go back to that neighbourhood policing,
01:00have a proper guarantee of neighbourhood policing,
01:03and I'd like to see it start with town centre patrols
01:06because I think it's that town centre confidence
01:09that you have to be able to tackle antisocial behaviour.
01:12Well, I think it was really good to meet Annie and Brian and Tim
01:16and hear their experiences.
01:18Sadly, those experiences I've heard so many times before,
01:22and in my own constituency in Hull, but in other areas of the country,
01:26that antisocial behaviour that causes such upset, distress in communities
01:31and can really affect people,
01:34having to live with either motorbikes or drug-taking
01:38or just that kind of antisocial behaviour on the street,
01:41people drinking, things like that.
01:43So, unfortunately, this is far too common, and that's why we need to take action.
01:48Feeling quite positive, actually.
01:51She's a lovely lady, and she did listen,
01:55and I'm feeling hopeful that we are going to get somewhere
01:59with the crime and the lack of policing,
02:02and I think she will help us. Don't you, Brian?
02:05I agree, yes. She's a very affable lady,
02:08did seem to be really interested in what we had to say,
02:13did seem quite knowledgeable about the issues that we raised.
02:18And Tim, obviously, you're a former police officer.
02:22How did you feel about what was said,
02:25and what your hopes are for the future?
02:28I feel reassured that they understand the scale of the problem,
02:32the deterioration in the police service over the last 13 years
02:36since austerity kicked in.
02:38So they've got a big job, and they know that,
02:41and I'll be interested to see how quickly they make progress.
02:45But getting police officers back on the streets,
02:48doing frontline duties to try and reduce this silent crime
02:52that we're talking about is so, so important to communities.
02:56So, fingers crossed.