In the news this week

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on London Bridge last week by Usman Khan, The New York Times quoted Richard on sentencing policy. On the controversy surrounding Mr Khan's sentence reduction and release, he said:

It's a good illustration of what happens when you try to throw the net so wide that you effectively lock up hundreds of people on the understanding that maybe there's a handful of them who might do awful or unpleasant things if they're not contained.

The Times article (paywalled) digs into the party manifesto claims and spending commitments on police numbers, on which Richard said:

I am not sure we need all the extra officers. The real question which is not addressed is about what the police are there to do. We need a serious look at clarifying what they should be doing and how they relate to other public services.

You can also hear Richard talking about the police population in context in our latest podcast.