There are some who dedicate their free time to helping others. Whether running community centres like Captains Lane in Ashton or Clifton Street in Worsley Mesnes and town improvement organisations like Brighter Better Orrell, or volunteering to coach kids in Hindley Town FC or Wigan Cosmos in Abram. I mentioned some of these fantastic local organisations in my maiden speech in the House of Commons.
But there are a few, a small minority, who make everyone else’s life a misery. They vandalise, cause nuisance, and terrorise local residents. I’m fed up with it.
I’m fed up with my kids walking in dog muck that someone couldn’t be bothered to pick up on the streets. I’m fed up with getting calls from a local sports club whose field has been driven on by idiots on quad or dirt bikes. I’m fed up with fly tippers who think every grassy alleyway or patch of grass is a dumping ground.
This behaviour has to be stopped. There must be consequences.
I’ve held community meetings about anti-social behaviour in Worsley Mesnes and Winstanley, and this week I’m holding another in Hindley. At these meetings, at my regular coffee mornings, and when I’ve knocked on your doorsteps, I’ve heard so many horrible stories about the impact of anti-social behaviour and vandalism.
St Jude’s Rugby Club has had its pitch destroyed by bikers again. Before, it forced them to cancel fixtures, and now, no one can train on those pitches. That is wrong. It’s why I’m supporting the fundraiser to fund a new fence to keep those bikers out.
I will make sure our Government fulfils the promise that every town in our area has a named Police Officer or PCSO and that we get our share of the £1 billion increase in the police budget. The Government has also created new powers to seize bikes and have them destroyed. Police no longer have to issue a warning before they seize a vehicle, they can just deal with the issue at hand. In Wigan in the last two weeks of January, I’m pleased that 14 bikes were seized and 4 arrests were made with these new powers
The government has also introduced new Respect Orders, a bit like new ASBOs. These allow the Police, Councils, and housing associations to stop persistent offenders on streets and public places. It will be a criminal offence not to comply with Respect Orders, and they can force individuals to tackle the root cause of their behaviour - like drugs, alcohol, and anger issues.
We have also created tough new powers to combat retail crime on our high streets. There is a specific new offence for assaulting a shopworker and we have removed the ludicrous £200 threshold that stopped persistent low-level shoplifting being taken seriously. Those who shoplift must always face consequences - without caveats and loopholes.
For too long, these crimes have been treated as unimportant. But they are important to me and our lives locally. Which is why I will roll up my sleeves, get out on the streets, and make sure our police have the powers and resources they need to tackle it.