Zeichner slams misleading Tory Crime Statistics.

Local Conservative Parties across the East of England have been caught using dodgy crime statistics, thought to have been prepared by Conservative HQ, to misrepresent the level of violent crime in our communities.

Labour have responded by calling on Tory candidates to come clean and apologise for misleading people across the East of England. 

Daniel Zeichner, Labour Parliamentary Spokesperson for Cambridge says: "the Tories have claimed that violent crime is on the rise, yet don’t take account of changes to crime statistic compilation. Since 2002, the police have categorised more types of crime as violent to better tally offences of this type. The Tories compare the violent crime statistics pre and post 2002 to try to show an increase in violent crime. But the statistics are simply not comparable, and indeed, it is fundamentally misleading to do so."

"This is part of a wider attempt to talk Britain down. Thus we hear scare stories about policemen and women being taken off the beat and given pointless office work when the reality is that, even in times of economic hardship, more officers and PCSOs will be on Cambridge streets in the next two years – and with better equipment."

"Recorded crime in Cambridgeshire fell 2% during the last quarter of 2009. If we want to keep crime down, we need to continue the type of frontline investment Labour has made. Experts agree that the best long-term indicator of crime trends is the British Crime Survey, an independent study run by national statisticians rather than through police recording.  The BCS has consistently recorded a fall in violent crime over the last twelve years and a 41% drop since 1997."

Labour have challenged Mr Cameron to explain why he deliberately chooses to mislead the public – but he refuses to respond. He was equally evasive when challenged by the BBC.