Liberal Democrats from Harlow have welcomed new proposals to cut crime and anti-social behaviour adopted by the party at last weekend's conference in Harrogate.

Party members in Harlow are currently carrying out a survey of local residents about the effects of crime, and will be publishing some of the findings later this spring.

Harlow's parliamentary spokesman Cllr Lorna Spenceley said:

"These proposals would make those causing vandalism and graffiti clean up the mess they cause and make them carry out tough community sentences.

The debate also highlighted the Government's mess over prisons and the problems caused by the increasing re-offending rates, now the highest in Europe. Too many people go to prison, get released early and go on to re-offend. Liberal Democrats proposals will break that cycle by greatly expanding prison training schemes.

We will ensure more people leave prison, having served their proper sentence, as people with marketable skills who are a benefit to society rather than people who go straight back into a life of crime.

Harlow residents are very concerned about crime but are fed up with the Government's tough posturing and failed promises. People are also concerned about the need to have more police officers and prefer to use the money Labour plans to waste on the ineffective Identity Card scheme spent on employing more police instead."