Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called a General Election for Thursday July 4, ending months of speculation about when he will go to the country.
Over the past two months, theIndie has invited the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green Party and Reform UK candidates for Hertford and Stortford to introduce themselves to our readers before the campaign proper began, writing on any subject they chose.
From June 5, we will be asking them all to answer the same key questions and set out their stances on the crunch issues identified by voters in Hertford and Stortford. Then they will have a chance to make a final pitch to residents to sum up why they should be our next MP – and why their party should form the next Government.
Julie Marson, Conservative MP for Hertford and Stortford since December 2019 and her party’s candidate on July 4, writes…
While many local election results earlier this month were disappointing, I was delighted that Jonathan Ash-Edwards was elected as our new Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner. I look forward to working with Jonathan in keeping Hertford and Stortford a safe and desirable place to live.
While we do have relatively low levels of crime, I have been disturbed by recent incidents such as the brazen attack on the cashpoint in Sawbridgeworth, as well as reported car thefts and antisocial behaviour.
As a policeman’s daughter and former magistrate, I take a keen interest in such issues and, as such, I was pleased to see the Criminal Justice Bill making its way through the House of Commons.
This would provide new powers to the police, helping to cut crime and antisocial behaviour. Crucially, it would see police adhere to strict standards in behavioural conduct and strengthen public confidence in law enforcement.
I have been lobbying the Home Secretary to include two new offences in this Bill: spiking and cuckooing.
Spiking is a dangerous and wicked activity and should be accurately reflected in the statute book, as we currently rely on laws dating back to 1861 for prosecution. I plan to hold a local awareness event in the coming months and hope to provide a more substantive update soon.
Cuckooing, which affects us locally, is the practice of commandeering the residence of a vulnerable person to facilitate illegal practices such as the sale of drugs. It is a crime which relies on the exploitation of vulnerable people.
Currently, there is no specific crime by which the police can charge people for this offence. I want to close this ‘gap’ in the law and challenge the notion that cuckooing is a victimless crime.
If anyone has been affected by spiking and cuckooing, please reach out.
This column was originally published in the Bishop’s Stortford Independent of May 15.