Liberal Democrats slam "grotesque" invasion of privacy (Saffron Walden Constituency Liberal Democrats)

Saffron Walden Constituency Liberal Democrats <info@saffronwaldenlibdems.org.uk>

Liberal Democrats slam "grotesque" invasion of privacy

October 13, 2008 10:55 AM

Saffron Walden Liberal Democrats have slammed Labour's decision to go ahead with ID Cards pointing out that the money could be much better spent on putting more police directly onto our streets.

Essex police authority could afford more than 200 police officers per year extra if the ID Cards were scrapped.

This would enable the police in our area to fight knife crime even more effectively, deal with anti social behaviour, and put more police directly on our streets.

Peter Wilcock, Liberal Democrat parliamentary campaigner, said: "With more police and more funding, our police authority would be able to deal with knife crime more effectively, deal with and illegal traveller and gypsy encampments swiftly, and lower crime further.

"Instead, our officers and chief inspector do fantastic work under pressure from a government which doesn't even respect them enough to give them a with-inflation pay rise.

"This government disgracefully under-funds our valuable and hard-working police officers on the front line just so that it can invade our privacy by wasting our money.

"Let's not forget that the people of this area will also have to pay just to get an ID Card, and during the recession, we do not want to have to pay out more in a poll-tax from Labour."