Tories warn of crime in suburbs

The Tories say violent crime is spreading to the suburbs

Tony Blair has been accused of being complacent about violent crime, which the Conservatives say is spreading from the cities to the suburbs.

The Tories said Mr Blair had had eight years to deal with it, but chose to try to keep the issue "off the front pages with a blizzard of misleading denials".

Mr Blair has said more needs to be done to tackle violent crime, and pledged a 15% cut in overall crime by 2008.

The Lib Dems have pledged an extra 10,000 police officers.

The accusations from shadow home secretary David Davis come as crime returns to the headlines.

Home Office figures published on Thursday showed overall recorded crime fell 5% in the last three months of 2004, but violent crime for the same period rose 9%.

Let me tell Mr Blair straight - life in Britain is very different today outside your security bubble David Davis Conservative briefing

And police are still searching for the man who stabbed teacher Abigail Witchalls, 26, as she was pushing her son in a buggy in Little Bookham, Surrey, described as one of England's safest places.

Announcing a six-point plan to "make life a misery" for criminals, Mr Davis said the government had failed to admit the reality of violent crime and drug-fuelled disorder experienced by the public.

"The violence and lawlessness of some of Britain's inner cities is already spreading to suburbs and market towns across the country," he said.

"Let me tell Mr Blair straight - life in Britain is very different today outside your security bubble."

In his action plan, Mr Davis reiterated his party's commitment to increase police numbers by 5,000 a year and create 20,000 more prison places.

And he promised to cut "red tape" - which he said made the police's job so difficult that it was like "driving with the bonnet up".

'Completely uncosted'

The plan also includes a pledge to make sure criminals "serve proper sentences".

But the Lib Dems said the extra places would cost £2.42bn and had been "completely uncosted", while accusing the Tories of not factoring in a huge increase in the prison population if convicts were made to serve full terms.

Also on Friday, Conservative family spokeswoman Theresa May promised measures to reduce the numbers of drug addicts.

Theresa May said that drug addicts needed a "chance to change"

She said they would have "chance to change" with 50,000 residential rehabilitation places, rather than putting them through the courts.

But she said there had to be a "clear message, drugs are wrong, no quibbling, no hedging" - and said the Conservatives would re-classify cannabis back to a Class B drug to send a clear message it was "dangerous".

They would also provide resources for school drug testing machines.

Labour plans to introduce a Violent Crime Reduction Bill if re-elected on 5 May.

A big aspect of the bill will be action against knives and a possible ban on replica firearms, something previously believed to be impractical.

It also pledges dedicated policing teams for every area, more prison places and a total of 25,000 community support officers.

The Liberal Democrats say they would introduce an extra 10,000 police officers over five years, funded from savings including scrapping the government's ID cards scheme. An extra 20,000 community support officers are also pledged.

They also promised to give police officers more hi-tech equipment which they say would cut paperwork and increase the time spent on "actual policing".