Isabel Oakeshott, deputy political editor of The Sunday Times: Do you think that people feel safer on the streets now at night than they did, ten or 20 years ago, or do they feel less safe? It’s a perception thing, isn’t it?

Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary: The truth is that they are safer, in terms of crime now, than 10 years ago, but I do think we’ve got a big job to do to build people’s confidence and to help them to feel safer.

IO: Why is that?

JS: I think it’s because people don’t always for example have the information they need about what’s happening locally. That’s why one of the first things I did was to say, we need to provide more meaningful information to people about what’s happening in locally, in their neighbourhood. I completely understand that whilst it’s a fact, and I can say, that crime is falling, what you want to know is what’s happening on your street; you want to know what the police officers in your area are doing, and who they are. And that’s one of the important things about neighbourhood policing and the additional information we’ll provide to people.

I think it’s also about the way people respond to the very small number of particularly violent incidents there are. That’s why I’ve said that although we’re talking about 1per cent of crime, serious violence is something we need to address.

We have shifted the public service agreements, the priorities we are expecting the police and criminal justice to look at, to focus on really serious violence, whether or not that’s gun and gang related, whether or not that’s to do with knives, whether or not that’s domestic violence or sexual assault. Those are the sorts of things that whilst they happen very rarely, do impact on people’s confidence, but where incidentally, we’ve already shown through the tackling gangs programme I’ve put in place, that you can make a difference, and that helps people to feel more confident.

IO: Would you feel safe, walking round, say, Hackney, at midnight on your own?

JS: Well, no, but I don’t think I’d ever have done. You know, I would never have done that, at any point during my life.

IO: Why not?

JS: Well, I just don’t think that’s a thing that people do, is it, really?

IO: Some people have to, I suppose, if they’re working late shifts, and so on. It’s not always something you can choose, in terms of if you’re going about your business. Not everybody works during daylight hours. Is that an issue, do you think? I mentioned Hackney, but what about other parts of London, late at night? Is it particularly do you think unsafe in more deprived areas, or would you personally feel unsafe, walking around Kensington and Chelsea as well?

JS: (laughs) Um, well, I wouldn’t walk around at midnight, and you’re right, I’m fortunate that I don’t have to do that. I have walked around Redditch. I don’t get the opportunity to walk around on my own now, but I certainly have done in the recent past, on my own. I know that those streets are safer now than they were when we elected this government.”

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