In the Media

30 years of crime and punishment

PUBLISHED March 22, 2007
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THERE is no doubt that crime is on the rise, admits Judge Richard Cole, who is about to retire from presiding over the Crown Courts at Coventry and Warwick.

And these days there is even more legislation to deal with it.

The Labour government's election slogan "tough on crime - tough on the causes of crime" has certainly had an impact, with no fewer than 3,046 new criminal offences introduced over the past 10 years.

Not that Judge Cole would ever take political sides. Some of the new laws have been useful, others have complicated sentencing.

And while he would never criticise the police, the judge says: "If they didn't have to write everything in triplicate they could spend more time out on the beat."

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