Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer visits Burnley College to talk ASB

Sir Keir was at Burnley College where he was given a tour of the facilities and outdoor sports pitches, and he then spoke with students about their studies and how he thinks sport can be a preventative measure for crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Government announced new plans last week on how they were going to crack down on anti-social behaviour, including a laughing gas ban, trials of swifter justice measures, and increased policing in areas of England and Wales deemed to have high amounts of low-level crime.

Sir Keir Starmer arriving at Burnley College (Image: LT)

But Sir Keir, who was marking the third anniversary of becoming Labour leader on Tuesday (April 4), was adamant they were not doing enough and that Labour’s alternative to bring in more police officers would provide more support for communities where anti-social behaviour is a particular issue.

He said: “I don’t think the Government is doing enough on every level when it comes to crime, but in Lancashire, anti-social behaviour is a real problem and a cause for concern. The Government likes to pretend there isn’t much of it or it doesn’t impact on lives – I think they’re completely wrong about that.

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“What I can say to everybody in Lancashire is that if we are privileged enough to come into Government as a Labour Government, we would tackle anti-social behaviour and other forms of crime, and neighbourhood police officers are a big answer to this.

“Across the country we want to see 13,000 police officers and police support officers. In Lancashire that’s 1,500 and that would make a massive difference because they are the eyes and ears, they are the place where communities and individuals know they can go, and they play a preventative role in stopping anti-social behaviour and other crime in the first place.

“I think the Government couldn’t be more out of touch with so many people in Lancashire who would say anti-social behaviour blights their life, and the Government doesn’t understand that and are too far removed from the life they’re living.”

Sir Keir reiterated that the introduction of more neighbourhood police officers would go a long way to helping tackle instances of anti-social behaviour in Lancashire and would help specifically targeted groups to overcome the fears they have within their communities.

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He said: “Some people feel they can’t go out of their front door after dark because they’re worried about what’s happening in their community, so they feel they’ve got to stay at home. Teenage girls say they don’t like to go down the high street because they feel like they’re going to be harassed, so it has a huge impact on people.

Sir Keir Starmer talking to students at Burnley College (Image: Labour)

“I think this is where the Government is so wrong. They’re just out of touch now. I don’t think they really understand that anti-social behaviour has on all ages, and that’s why I’ve never accepted the argument that it is somehow low-level crime.

“It impacts on people’s lives across Lancashire and we’re determined to roll up our sleeves and do something about it, working with our neighbourhood police officers to ensure that we drive it down and allow people to live fulfilled lives – confident, safe, and happy in their own communities.”