Clampdown on criminals’ benefits is more empty spin

THE Conservatives say that at the moment people who fail to pay a court fine on time can have only £5 a week deducted from their benefit payments; they plan to change this to £25 a week.

This is just more from the Conservatives of stigmatising those on benefits. The big deterrent is getting caught, or the fear of getting caught, not what happens afterwards. So, this is an announcement that is made up to make the Conservatives appear tough on crime – it is not based on evidence and it won’t have an impact.

If people have very little money, should we really take it off them? If they are really poor, they will only get some sort of hardship grant. Community service, is that the answer?

Get them clearing the streets, rivers or canals; get them to help the homeless and see what real poverty is like.

So David Cameron should stop this spin about being hard on crime. Tony Blair was an expert on spin, David Cameron needs to concentrate on the economy and stopping the bosses getting 50 per cent pay rises while their companies and workers are struggling.

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

THERE is naturally much discussion on the subject of reducing the amount of benefit paid to criminals.

There are some who have concern that the family of the criminal will suffer.

It must be remembered that it is not the reduction of benefit that causes the suffering but it is the criminal activities of the parents, who are often into drugs and drink and have very little concern for the children themselves other than to conceive even more.

As a former clerk to a firm of solicitors, who dealt with criminal cases, I know of clients whose only concern is where they are going to get the next fix or the next drink.

From: Andrew Mercer, Oxford Road, Guiseley.

WHY did David Cameron use the Commonwealth summit in Perth, Australia, to announce his new clampdown on the benefits paid to criminals?

Shouldn’t this announcement have been made in this country – or is the PM becoming desperate because of his betrayal over the EU referendum?