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Lib Dems's extra police promise | Lib Dems's extra police promise |
(30 minutes later) | |
Liberal Democrats have pledged to fund up to 500 extra police community support officers if they win power in the Welsh assembly elections. | |
AM Eleanor Burnham told delegates in Swansea that funding would be made available over the next assembly term. | |
She called for power over the police and prisons to be transferred to the assembly, provided sufficient funding accompanied the move. | |
Ms Burnham was speaking to the Lib Dem Welsh spring conference in Swansea. | |
The north Wales assembly member described the aborted attempts to merge police forces as a demonstration that Wales was better able to decide what kind of policing it needed. | |
She told delegates that after all its tough talking Labour had failed on crime. | |
Highest proportion | |
She said: "Violent crime, for instance, has doubled in the last eight years. | |
"More than three in every five prisoners are convicted of another crime within two years of release, the highest proportion since records began. | |
"Less than one in every 100 crimes leads to a court conviction." | |
A pledge to promote acceptable behaviour contracts to curb drunkenness and violence in our towns and cities will also be among a series of Liberal Democrat plans designed to make communities across Wales feel more safe and secure. | A pledge to promote acceptable behaviour contracts to curb drunkenness and violence in our towns and cities will also be among a series of Liberal Democrat plans designed to make communities across Wales feel more safe and secure. |
On Saturday assembly Liberal Democrat leader Mike German told the conference they needed to target younger voters for the poll. | On Saturday assembly Liberal Democrat leader Mike German told the conference they needed to target younger voters for the poll. |
Mr German said tactics would include campaigning for the vote for 16-year-olds and targeting big university constituencies. | Mr German said tactics would include campaigning for the vote for 16-year-olds and targeting big university constituencies. |
Proportional representation is a key policy for Sir Menzies | |
But with the turnout amongst younger voters notoriously low, he acknowledged it would be tough. | But with the turnout amongst younger voters notoriously low, he acknowledged it would be tough. |
Mr German also warned his party not to be distracted from their mission of creating a fairer, greener future for Wales, and said they still had a lot to gain before the May election. | Mr German also warned his party not to be distracted from their mission of creating a fairer, greener future for Wales, and said they still had a lot to gain before the May election. |
Later, MP Lembit Opik's message to the conference was these are the most important six weeks in the life of the party. | Later, MP Lembit Opik's message to the conference was these are the most important six weeks in the life of the party. |
He said Wales was like a "living, breathing dragon that was suffocating under a directionless Labour administration". | He said Wales was like a "living, breathing dragon that was suffocating under a directionless Labour administration". |
Mr Opik also refused the chance to talk about a possible assembly coalition, saying he would do so only after the election. | Mr Opik also refused the chance to talk about a possible assembly coalition, saying he would do so only after the election. |
On Friday, in his speech to the party leader Sir Menzies Campbell stressed his "absolute" commitment to proportional representation in a speech to Welsh Liberal Democrats. | On Friday, in his speech to the party leader Sir Menzies Campbell stressed his "absolute" commitment to proportional representation in a speech to Welsh Liberal Democrats. |
Sir Menzies told activists they should be in "no doubt" about his commitment to PR for "every election". | Sir Menzies told activists they should be in "no doubt" about his commitment to PR for "every election". |