working class who are frightened by the dramatic changes taking place.
The Tories also hope to divert attention from the violence of their rule against the poor, the sick, the youth, women and most vulnerable members of this society.
'Is it not the case that serious crimes, offences recorded by the police, declined each year when I was Prime Minister and have gone up each year since?' Labour's response to the right wing has been Whatever debate there may have been in the past about 'hard' and 'soft' EVER since last year's upheavals the police force has grown, been given more intensive training and harder' equipment.
A third force now exists in the 11,000 strong police support units formed on a divisional basis in nearly every force in the country.
Under Home Office contingency plans for large-scale disorders thev form a national mutual alc system.
These special forces are provided reinforced modified NATO glass helmets as used by the army in the North of overalls. and short shields.
'Pig squirt' water be available through the Home Office from Ministry of tougher IUIC sophisticated rulings that assembly.
Community policing, munity over the police.
'neutral' body primarily feeble.
of the police must be limited.
effective policing ting crime and before the courts trusion.
Wing in a free society.
upheaval caused present about 'community prepare for war.
don now of 'riot police John Alderson, Devon and Cornwall who are measures should be supported.
Certain
vans, established. fibre defended. The fireproof • Blaming cannon will of Defence black community Through mass unemployment and racist attacks on black minorities, new laws such elected to non-elected representatives as in Gorton looks at the issues involved. policing has been resolved in favour , penalties on offenders, equipment, creased arming of police, laws and restrict the right of as Labour calls for, has been proven in areas like Handsworth in the Birmingham area to be used to control the community, not to extend the control of the comThe official Labour Party position still seems to see the police as a concerned with the catching of criminals.
According to Labour Weekly, official newspaper of the Labour Party, 'In a democratic society, the powers 'There has to be a balance between aimed. at detecbringing offenders - and the rights of the individual and the community at large to be free from unwarranted in'Labour must formulate a clear and positive policy on the whole area of law and order, which will achieve he right balance of successful polic What is missed out is that the police are now occupying the centre of the stage in the debate not about crime, but how to deal with the social by 3-4 million The Tories and the police think they have the answer. And while the Labour leadership blathers policing' and democratic accountability, the police "THE dramatic fall in the detection of crime - down to 16 per cent in Lonis one manifestation of withdrawal of community support.
Chief Constable of The reply of the labour and black movement cannot remain on the level of trying to increase community control over the police, although all such principles must be black community must be unemployment and unrest on black people must be turned back onto the Tories themselves. • Tory attempts to intimidate the through deportations must be combated by support of anti-deportation campaigns such as around the Filipino domestics. • The NHOVCRICULS unity defence of the black youth of the inner cities, through a campaign for jobs for youth and against the slavelabour schemes. • All forms of black organisation should be The situation demands an alliance between the Asian and Caribbean organisations • Defence campaigns such as around the Bradford 12 focus national attention on issues which are key to the defence of the black community. In this case the use of the conspiracy WATER Other theft and handling Robbery and violent crime includes 'mugging 0.9% of all recorded crime this summer.
should be supported selfsupported.
Afroing class.
LOIL
Tory crime statistics Registered unemployed up from 1,250,000 to 3,074,000 Total unemployed (TUC estimate, 4,000.000 Housing cut by 30% in 1980-81 School building cut by 15% Real wages down 3% The facts - believe it or not Car crimes Break-ins Fraud and forgery 5% Miscellaneous 3% laws against black militants can set a precedent for their use in other cases The national demonstration in Leeds on Saturday 3 April • Initiatives should be taken in the Labour Party, the trade unions and the black community within the next period to present a co-ordinated, national response to the Tory offensive against the black community and the democratic rights of the whole workOnly a unified movement by black people and labour can roll back the Tory offensive and return a Labou government in the next general elecHOSPITALS 31% 23% 14% 21% West Indians are 36 times more likely to be victims than whites and Asians 50 times more likely BARBARA IS u young white woman living in the south London borough of Lambeth. On Tuesday March she was accosted at Oval tube station on her way home from work. She spoke to Socialist Challenge about what happened. It was about 8.30 at night. When I came up into the exit area there were four very large men standing two on each side of the door way. . They were about 35 years old, heavy set and wearing expensive leather jackets. They looked like right thugs could see iwo oliseu talking to a black guy who'd been in front of me. He was getting agitated and angry.
One of them came up to me and asked where i was going. I answered that I was going home - in some surprise, since the whole thing was a bit unusual. He said something like 'well you'd better make sure you get there' I don't know what the others said to the black guy but they let him go.
It seemed to me that it was a lorm or curlew inal was Deing operated. I was wearing badges and there was the implication that if I had lived outside the area that I would have been more closely questioned I realised later that they were probably part of the group of ex-servicemen who said that they were forming a vigilanie squau Ul Loughborough Estate fols•.
icil I found it quite worrying and i'm white . God knows how it affects the black people :::e approached.
Socialist Challenge 25 March 1982
demand rights Write to SC letters, c/o PO Box 50, London N7 Editor reserves the right to cut any letter over 400 words. 2XP.
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'Third force' in Britain
as Tebbit's Employment Bill and the Na- tionality Act, shifting decision-making from
the case of Denning's low fares ruling and by increasing the repressive powers of the state itself, Thatcher hopes to smash the ability of the class to fight back. And Labour's leader- ship has done little to counter her. Here Toni
My encounter with a vigilante squad