Community Safety

Keep extra police on the beat
o Gloucestershire is the first council in Britain to pay for extra police on the beat.  As a result of the last Conservative manifesto there are 63 extra police officers on beat patrol right across Gloucestershire.  They’ve all been paid for by cutting council waste, rather than increasing taxes.
o Labour councillors opposed putting extra police on the beat.
o We will maintain the 63 police officers, with a full review of how they’re performing in 2010.

Fight closure of Gloucester Fire control
o Conservatives have always opposed Labour’s plan to close Gloucester’s Fire Control centre.  We know that replacing highly experienced control room operatives with inexperienced call centre staff is a recipe for disaster – and that, in an emergency, seconds count.
o The Conservative party is the only national party to have pledged to scrap Labour’s regional fire call centres.

50% council tax rebate for UK troops deployed on active service overseas
o We are very proud of the role Gloucestershire servicemen and women play in defending our country – sometimes we think we don’t show that enough.  British troops risking their lives overseas aren’t using council services and shouldn’t have to pay for them. 
o We will top up Government funds to give a 50% council tax rebate to any Gloucestershire-based British servicemen or women posted on active duty overseas.

Look to provide more metal detectors to fight knife and gun crime
o Gloucestershire is one of the safer places in England to live – and we want it to stay that way.  Knife crime has become a significant problem elsewhere in Britain – and we want to make sure that the dangerous trend for young people carrying knives doesn’t spread to Gloucestershire.
o We will provide crime-fighting metal detection equipment to community safety teams across the county for the use of the police, local pubs and clubs and schools, where requested.