Michael Howard - 11 Reasons Not to Vote for Him - Reason 3

3) PUT MORE POLICE ON THE STREETS AND THEY’LL CATCH MORE CRIMINALS.

Right – But infantile: Only a fool would say, “Put more police on the streets and they’ll catch less criminals.” Under Howard’s hand, police numbers actually fell between 1993 and 1997 by over 1000 officers. What he relied on was the “SUS” law, another landmark in criminological thinking by someone who was a lawyer, f’ goodness sake! Howard said, “.....and Conservatives will support the police when it comes to stop and search. Increased stop and search is part of the solution to rising crime.” This from a man who wants to run the country. Increased stop and search is part of the problem to rising crime. It alienates people, makes them feel picked on, distrusted and, if you’re of a non-white group you’re far, far more likely to be SUSSED and all that does is breed resentment. Howard believes that, “Effective policing depends on stop and search” and yet we all know that effective policing depends on the police actually doing the job they're paid for and being supported in this by managers and politicians keeping their fingers out of the pie thereby allowing the police to do their work properly in the first place, not hoping that a blanket “check ‘em all” will net a few criminals, no matter how many other innocent people we upset so that they can meet the government targets laid down to clinch the next election, only to see the case collapse through shoddy work and dishonest attendants.