Violent Crime Reduction Bill
10:00 am
Lynne Featherstone (Shadow Minister, Home Affairs; Hornsey and Wood Green, Liberal Democrat)
We have some understanding of the Government’s intentions in those areas where it is as plain as the nose on one’s face that there is serious criminal activity and disorder as a consequence of alcohol, and we certainly wish to deal with that, but the prescribed solutions are somewhat draconian on one level and muddled on another. The unintended consequences of trying to tackle a real evil in our midst may be complete mayhem.
There is a lack of clarity about the zones. I do not agree with the Minister that the authority on one side of a road should be able to impose a zone while the authority on the other side should not be compelled to work with it in some way. The charging regime seems to be a mess as well, although that is hard to tell, because there is nothing in the Bill and no regulations for us to consider.