The Conservative Manifesto 1997

A Safe and Civil Society - OUR RECORD

Recorded crime has dropped in each of the last 4 years. It is now over 10% down on 1992 levels - more than half a million fewer offences - the biggest drop since records were first kept.

There are now 153,000 neighbourhood watch schemes in England and Wales - 38,000 more than in 1992 - covering 5.5 million homes. We have helped fund over 4,000 Closed Circuit TV schemes over the last 2 years for additional security.

Our national DNA database - the first in the world - now has over 112,000 samples on it. 3,300 matches have so far been made between suspects and crime stains.

The Government has increased the maximum penalty for taking a gun to a crime and for attempted rape to life imprisonment. Since 1985 the average sentence for violence against the person has risen by a third and for sexual offences by nearly 40%.

The numer of cars stolen has fallen by nearly 20% in the last four years - that is about 100,000 fewer cars stolen.

We have built 22 new prisons since 1980. Slopping out has ended. No prisoners now sleep three to a cell designed for one. Prison escapes have fallen by 80% since the last election.

Mandatory drug testing has been introduced throughout the Prison Service. Home leave has been cut back - down by half in two years.

We have made witness intimidation a crime. 500 people were charged with that offence in 1995 alone.

We have stepped up the fight against drugs and organised crime, giving the Security Service powers to support the police and Customs and Excise in tracking down the serious criminals.