Sedgefield

This weekend local Conservative by-election candidate Graham Robb has unveiled the astonishing statistic that there are 180 antisocial behaviour incidents every day in the County Durham police force area*. This figure will resonate with many people in the local communities of Sedgefield who are feeling the effects of our increasingly fragmented and broken society.

Speaking on Saturday, while out campaigning in Newton Aycliffe Graham Robb said:


"Antisocial behaviour is wrecking peoples’ quality of life and there is a real fear that we don’t have enough police officers on the ground. We need to release our hard working police men and women from bureaucracy and targets and let them get on with policing our streets. In the villages around Darlington there are only ever 1 or 2 policemen on duty at any one time. In every community in the constituency there is a shortage of public funds to offer activities for young people that present an alternative to behaviour exhibited in public places. We need a combination of more police, alternative activities for young people and effective sanctions when they commit crime and anti social behaviour."

The Conservative candidate has also highlighted the rise in violent crime. Graham said: "Violent crime, when recorded properly, has increased by 134 per cent in the Borough of Sedgefield, from 792 offences recorded in 1999-00 to 1856 in 2005-06. In County Durham violent crime has jumped by 102 per cent, and by 101 per cent in England and Wales as a whole, so the increase in Sedgefield is significantly higher than the average both for the county and nationally"

He added: "Given the number of crimes being committed it is extraordinary that the Labour government is cutting funds for Police in County Durham and letting thousands of prisoners out of prison early."

Sedgefield Conservatives