Martin has strongly defended a well-funded local police force, called for smart sentencing and punishment regimes to cut re-offending and highlighted emerging problems particularly on outlying areas of town.

He is currently opposing plans to let government funding for our police drop even further (it’s already well below average) forcing Gloucestershire to choose between fewer police on the beat or higher council tax bills.

Gloucestershire Constabulary has a strong record of community-based policing and effective action against crime – including anti-terrorist arrests like the Gloucester ‘shoe bomber’ Richard Reid and clampdowns on organised crime families. The force’s finest hour was their emergency leadership role during the 2007 floods.  Yet not along ago there was a serious government plan to wind up local police forces like ours and set up a centralised south west England police force.  Martin was one of many MPs who lobbied strenuously against this plan which was dulydropped as unworkable and unaffordable.

Martin has been a critical friend of the police when necessary, pointing out problems emerging in outlying areas of town like Hatherley and Springbank that needed nipping in the bud.   He strongly supported the force’s move towards more community-based policing and also highlighted residents’ and tenants’ concerns aboutcrimes on specific estates around town.

Martin has also supported honest sentencing – so that life really means life – and smarter sentencing – leaving proper discretion to juries, judges and magistrates but involving victims more in setting the punishment and backing tough community payback schemes to make community sentences fit the crime.  Martin supports policies like forcing prisoners to go back to ‘school’ if they didn’t have the basic skills to hold down an honest job and offering them work which would enable them to pay money into victim compensation schemes.