Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling met with Hampshire Police chiefs and civil liberties campaigners on a visit to Winchester recently.
Accompanied by Steve Brine, the prospective Conservative MP for Winchester, he met with the new Chief Constable of Hampshire (Alex Marshall) and the new District Commander of Winchester Police based at North Walls, Chief Inspector Rachel Farrell.
- Steve Brine TV - see a short-film and Steve's interview with Chris Grayling courtesy of www.stevebrine.tv
Mr Grayling was keen to get views from the Chief Constable about a range of subjects including the current budget situation facing the Hampshire Constabulary which will see 200 jobs lost as a result of the current financial crisis and a Conservative plan to end what the party says is a "caution culture" in Britain's police forces. The proposals will ensure that all youths who carry out violent attacks are prosecuted. Mr Grayling said: "If you are found carrying a knife, if you attack a stranger in the street, you should end up in the courts and then behind bars. You should not get a caution, or as I heard recently, a £65 penalty notice for carrying a three foot Samurai sword around. That must stop."
Steve Brine added; “It was a lively exchange of views but I hope really useful for Chris and David Cameron as they put together law and order proposals for a general election manifesto. The Chief Constable and new District Commander were particularly interested in our plan to introduce elected police commissioners to Hampshire and to hear about our intention to be much more robust about current licensing rules. We are absolutely not saying a return to pre-reform hours but there is now a strong case to end Labour's twenty-four hour drinking regime. It has not created a continental café culture - it has just made things worse and Winchester city centre on many evenings is a good example of why we need change. We cannot allow a culture of public binge-drinking and the resulting public nuisance to continue unchallenged.”
Mr Grayling went on to meet leaders of the newly formed NO2ID Winchester group at The Slug & Lettuce in The Square where he confirmed Conservative intentions to end the compulsory ID card scheme by repeal of the Identity Cards Act 2006, cancel the national identity record database and further measures to protect civil liberties.
Pictured above; Steve Brine and Chris Grayling MP on Friday 27 February 2009 during the Shadow Home Secretary's visit.