It’s wrong to think we are a soft touch

2:36pm Thursday 24th July 2008

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By Jack Straw »

We’re far too soft – is a common refrain from folk. Soft on criminals, soft on foreign prisoners, soft on immigrants, soft on asylum seekers, soft on EU workers.

Just before I stood on my soap-box for one of my regular question times in Blackburn a gentleman came up to me and asked whether there was any other country in Europe “which doled out benefits – including child benefit” to workers from other EU countries, like Poles “even if their children are still in Poland?”

I understand exactly why people feel this. It’s partly the fact that our media are going to highlight cases where the system is taken for a ride.

And when people are feeling the pinch, as they are these days, resentments about others who maybe abusing the system are bound to rise.

But is any of this true?Mostly not. Here are some answers.

Crime: Down again especially in Lancashire, where we have one of the best police forces in the country.

Five years ago my residents’ meetings were dominated by concerns about crime. Now they are not.

At my meeting in Little Harwood last Friday there were concerns about vandalism to a play area, and about the state of the War Memorial, but neither the police chief nor I could entice any further crime concerns from those present.

It’s not that crime has gone away completely, of course not.

But there is much higher confidence in the police – and when crime is committed there’s a higher chance of the culprits being brought to justice.

“Tougher prison sentences and tougher policing are working” was the headline on a comment piece in yesterday’s Times.

It’s true. Despite adding a record 23,000 places to our prisons in 11 years there’s a reason why prisons are bursting at the seams.

More crooks are being put away, and for longer. I’m completely unapologetic about that.

If they are locked up, they can’t go burgling or worse.

Foreign Prisoners: I wish we didn’t have one. Instead we have 11,200.

But Germany and Spain have nearly twice as many as us (21,600 each); and we’re way down the European league table.

Foreign prisoners are 14 per cent of our prison population; 21 per cent in France; 28 per cent Germany, 33 per cent Spain; 42 per cent in Greece and Austria, and a whopping 62 per cent in Switzerland.

Asylum seekers: It’s right that like any other civilised nation we should provide a safe haven for those fleeing from real persecution.

But not for those who abuse the system. We’ve become tougher on unfounded asylum seekers.

The number of applicants is now at its lowest level since 1993, and deportations are now at record levels. In 2006, for the first time ever, we removed more failed asylum seekers than those making unfounded claims EU workers.

So what about all those Poles, and the rest?

Unsurprisingly, since after the war we provided a home to so many Poles who’d bravely fought for our freedom as well as theirs during the war, the long established Polish community in east Lancashire has provided a base for the “new” Poles who’ve come here to work.

But across the UK a recent independent report [IPPR.29 April] has estimated that a half of the one million Poles who came here after Poland joined the EU have now left the UK, as Poland’s economy improves.

Their benefit entitlement applies across Europe.

As I explained to the gentleman in the town centre last Saturday, he might be complaining about “our” money being spent on benefits for “them”; but go to Spain or France and you’ll hear exactly the same complaint – except for “Poles” read “Brits”.