(Stockton South) (Con): Residents in the Mandale and
Victoria area of my constituency are having their lives made a
misery by gangs of youths. In the past week, I have been told about
cars and buses damaged, house windows smashed, people abused in the
street, a pensioner assaulted in his own home, and an 11-year-old
held at knifepoint on the way home from school. It cannot go on.
The Government are putting more police on the streets, with
improved stop-and-search powers, but will my right hon. Friend
grant a debate in Government time on strengthening the powers of
the courts and the police to deal with antisocial behaviour and
youth offending?
Mr Rees-Mogg: My hon. Friend raises an important and troubling
point. As constituency MPs all know, there are difficulties that
come from antisocial behaviour, and that causes pain and
frustration to our law-abiding constituents. I assure my hon.
Friend that the Government are making serious headway in tackling
antisocial behaviour and violent crime. On top of our strong
record since 2010, I am pleased to say that we have now recruited
over 4,300 new police officers as part of our drive to recruit
20,000 more officers by the end of this Parliament. We have also
announced a £200 million youth endowment fund, supporting the
children and young people most vulnerable to involvement in crime
and violence. This is also often a question of enforcement and
using the powers that are already there, and the elections next
year for Police and Crime Commissioners will be
important, because we want good Conservatives who are in favour
of the enforcement of law and order.
