Police praise Hague's tough justice

Hague says the police deserve more political backing

Rank and file police officers have backed Tory leader William Hague after he warned that the service was facing a crisis of confidence, cash and resources.

Mr Hague told the Police Federation annual conference in Brighton that police chiefs were now confronted by dwindling numbers in the ranks to fight a rise in crime.

I want to make convicted criminals unwilling to commit more crimes

William Hague

Police leaders described his address as "sparkling", in contrast with an "abysmal offering" delivered by the Home Secretary Jack Straw.

"The government has effectively handed over the moral high ground in policing back to the Conservatives," said the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation Glen Smyth.

Police Federation chairman Fred Broughton said Mr Hague impressed officers by focusing on their feelings of unease and their lack of confidence in the policing arrangements of our country.

"He struck a chord with police officers regarding honesty of sentencing but this is not new - Michael Howard made similar announcements," he said.

Zero tolerance

Mr Hague was applauded for his demands for a shake-up in the criminal justice system to ensure that the public was protected from offenders - such as those who invaded the home of farmer Tony Martin, now serving life for killing a burglar.

"I want to make convicted criminals unwilling to commit more crimes or at least keep them under lock and key so they can't," he told police officers.

"I want the victims of crime to feel that they have had justice and I want the law abiding millions of our country to feel free from fear in their homes and on the streets."

The Conservative leader said the UK should look to the example of New York, where "zero tolerance" policing had seen crime fall.

He promised to introduce minimum sentences for drug pushers and people convicted more than once for sexual offences against children.

'More PCs, less PC'

Attacking liberal attitudes that let criminals off the hook, Mr Hague said the crisis in the police service had worsened in the wake of the election of a Labour Government.

"We need to set you free to do your job. We need to give you the political support by defeating the liberal nonsense that says the war against crime cannot be won," he said.

"We promise now that when we return to office we shall, as a minimum, restore the police cuts of the last three years.

"You will be backed up with a criminal justice system which scares the hell out of criminals."

Mr Hague repeated his view that the UK needed more PCs and less PC - political correctness.

He set out demands for "an honesty in sentencing" which would mean the end of automatic release on licence for prisoners and called for the government to scrap the double jeopardy law, which means people cannot be tried twice for the same office.

'Short memory'

But Mr Straw accused the Tory leader of trying to grab the headlines.

The home secretary, who on Wednesday admitted the police service had problems but denied a crisis, hit back at William Hague's comments and his calls for it to be made easier to challenge light sentences.

He said Hague had voted against Labour amendments to the Crime (Sentences) Bill in January 1997 which would have introduced the reforms he now wanted.

"I am afraid to say that in your eagerness to win a headline at the Police Federation conference today, you have made a rather embarrassing error," he said in a letter to Mr Hague.

"You obviously have a very short memory."