The Progressive Conservatives have unveiled their plan to address crime rates in the province and make communities safer.
Leader Tony Wakeham made a campaign stop in Deer Lake today, vowing, if elected, to hire at least 46 new police officers in the province, including 25 new RCMP officers for rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
That, says Wakeham, will restore the police service to its highest levels in a decade.
“Our province has seen a steady increase in break and enters, overdoses, and ‘shelter in place’ orders,” says Wakeham. “I’ll ask you a question that I ask others; ‘Do you feel safer than you did ten years ago?’”
He’s also vowing to increase the number of Crown attorneys, and end what he calls “catch and release” practices.
“Our Crown attorneys will be there to challenge bail for the most dangerous offenders, and ensure these criminals are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” He says the days of offenders rotating through the justice system, only to offend “again and again and again, must end.”
Wakeham is promising to support new addiction treatment centres and expand access to detox and recovery services.
