The Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, Simon Edens, kindly hosted hundreds of local community leaders at Police Headquarters for a reception and I was pleased to attend; I met very familiar faces from all of our communities in Northampton at what was a very successful evening.
I worked in the criminal justice system in Northampton for over fifteen years before being elected as MP, mostly for those receiving legal aid from the state to cover the costs of their legal representation, and I know that every family should feel safe and secure in their homes and local communities. Having also spent time with rank and file officers over the years I know the huge amount of hard work, stress and effort they put into policing Northampton and the achievements they’ve made in this, and will continue to make.
Crime is down 21% since 2010, including for example a 38% drop in criminal damage offences, and although more always needs to be done we should give huge credit to our police officers for the work they do.