OPINION: David Ellesmere on crime committed around Ipswich

They see crimes being committed in broad daylight but when they report it, no one comes, nothing gets done and there are seemingly no consequences for the lawbreakers. 

The pungent whiff of marijuana is smelt more and more as you walk down the street. 

David Ellesmere. Picture: Sarah Lucy Brown, Newsquest

Parents worry about drug dealers hanging around the school gates or gangs trying to recruit kids into crime.

Pensioners worry about scams or being robbed in the street. Small businesses worry they will be targeted by thieves or vandals. 

Knife crime plagues too many communities and women feel less safe on the streets. 

Trials are delayed for years because of court backlogs, with a record number of criminals getting off scot-free. 

It didn’t use to be like this, and it doesn’t have to be now. 

David Ellesmere's latest comment focuses on crime and policing. Picture: Newsquest (Image: Newsquest)

It is a direct result of thirteen years of the Conservatives running down vital public services, not least the police.

Thousands of neighbourhood police have been cut and the direct result is that in large areas of the country, the police have disappeared from the streets. 

When I first became a councillor under the dying days of John Major’s Conservative government. There was just one beat officer assigned to my ward. If they were off shift, sick or on holiday there was no police presence. 

We couldn’t get people to report crimes because they thought there was no point. 

All that changed with the Labour Government that was elected in 1997. 

Police numbers were increased dramatically. My ward became part of the South West Ipswich Safer Neighbourhood Team which had a couple of sergeants, around seven or eight constables and a number of Police Community Support Officers. 

The difference was incredible. 

If you reported a crime someone would turn up and take a statement. People got more confident that crimes would be investigated so were willing to report more. It became easier to give information to the police because there were more police around and they were well known. 

Just the visible presence of the police prevented crime but, because they got more information from the public, they were better placed not only to solve crimes, but to stop them happening in the first place. 

It’s hardly a surprise that crime fell under the last Labour government, but all that good work has gone since the Conservatives came to power. 

Today’s “Safer Neighbourhood Teams” are a shadow of their former selves. The South West Ipswich area has become the West Ipswich area which stretches all the way to Hadleigh but has fewer officers than the older, smaller area. 

We are back to where we were before. Many people have stopped reporting crimes because they don’t think anything will happen if they do. 

So, I was really pleased to hear Keir Starmer pledge last week that the next Labour government will recruit 13,000 extra police and community support officers to bring back proper neighbourhood policing to Britain’s streets. 

They would also introduce “hotspot policing” where, if there are reports of local drug dealing in particular areas or at particular times, neighbourhood police would be deployed to flood the area to arrest and deter dealers. 

This would undoubtedly mean safer homes, safer streets and safer communities. 

Rishi Sunak. Picture: PA (Image: LEON NEAL)

Unfortunately, Rishi Sunak looks like he could hang on until 2025 before calling a General Election and we just can’t wait that long. 

So, Labour-run Ipswich Borough Council is putting its money where its mouth is and will fund a permanent police presence for the town centre’s streets from April. 

We’re convinced this will have the same effect of cutting crime, giving police more information and making people feel safer which will help retailers in the town centre. 

Then, when Rishi Sunak finally dares to call an election, we can vote for a Labour government that can bring these benefits to every street in Ipswich.