That is good news indeed. And that's not just based on police statistics but on the British Crime Survey, which is based on a survey of the public. What's more that goes for violent crime as well.

Locally we have done even better with recorded crime in Rother down 9% (from an already low base) while Hastings has seen a massive 17% fall. Well done I say to the police and the Crime Reduction Partnerships locally that have played such an important part. This is not a 'broken' Britain or, for that matter, a 'broken' Hastings and Rye.

While every available record or statistic shows that crime is falling surveys of public opinion show two commonly held perceptions: crime is falling locally and rising nationally. This is true all across the UK – individuals think crime is going down in their area but rising elsewhere in the country. Clearly both cannot be right.

Now, if all the stats show crime to be down and individual perception (i.e. local experience of crime) backs this up it can clearly be seen that crime is going down – in fact by nearly 40% since 1997!

However, the most important human right for people in Hastings and Rye is to feel safe in their homes and communities. No matter how much crime goes down when you are a victim you are 100% the victim. While crime persists there is still more to be done.

That is why Labour continues to invest in crime fighting and prevention.

I support using CCTV to fight against crime. But the local Tories have some questions to answer. Do they support CCTV? If not, fine but which cameras do they want to get rid of? CCTV clearly deters crime so I want to know which cameras they feel are superfluous to safety.

On youth crime, it's clear we have to look at how we as a community tackle it better. I support the action on Youth Crime recently outlined by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

There will be street-based teams of youth workers to stop young people getting involved in anti-social behaviour. And more non-negotiable support for families who are causing problems. Young victims will get help to stay safe and to get help if they need it. Early intervention is key to preventing youngsters going down the wrong route.

But action by Government is not going to solve problems on its own. Just recently I heard of the "Street Pastors" scheme. A Church based initiative now proposed for Hastings whereby trained volunteers are "on the street" to make friends with youngsters, lend a helping hand and defuse conflict situations.

We also have to make sure the right tools are there for the Police to work with the community and take action when needed.

Our Neighbourhood Police teams have been a massive boost, listening to peoples concerns and taking action. I want to go further and give our Bobbies on the beat more support by cutting down on some of the unnecessary red tape they face. The Government is currently looking at ways to cut down on paperwork done by the police.

I will always stand up for the law abiding people in our area and work with our communities to steer our youth away from a life of crime.


To keep up to date on what I'm doing stop by my website http://www.michaelfoster.org.uk/.

You can also receive a monthly update on my activities by sending an email to mp@1066.net with 'MPFree' in the subject line.