Crime is out of control, says Howard

Last updated at 14:35 01 December 2004


Tory leader Michael Howard has claimed crime is "out of control" as he continued his battle with Prime Minister Tony Blair over their law and order records.

Mr Howard cited the "horrific" murder of financier John Monckton to back up his claim that "the fight against crime is being lost".

He told the Commons that violent crime had risen, detected offences were up and detection rates had slumped since Labour came to power in 1997.

'Better chance of getting away with it'

"Criminals now have better chance of committing a crime and getting away with it than at any time in the last 25 years," he said.

The Prime Minister, after expressing sympathy for Mr Monckton's family, said that overall crime was falling - after doubling under the previous Tory administration.

He conceded that violent and gun crime were too high but pointed out that tough new measures had been brought in to tackle them.

Mr Howard, as Home Secretary, had presided over a rise in violent crime and also cut police numbers, he added.

He told MPs at Prime Minister's question time: "Overall crime has been falling not rising; that is not simply my view, that is the view of any independent analyst who has looked at the crime statistics.

"It's no consolation to anyone who is a victim of crime to be told that crime has fallen. But neither is it any consolation to have a former home secretary who cut police numbers lecture the rest of us on crime when you were part of a government that doubled it."

• A man has been arrested over the knife murder of John Monckton in a vicious attack at his Chelsea home on Monday night.

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