argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): As the right hon. Gentleman may know, a number of fixed penalty fines have been handed out over the past few days for all manner of contraventions of the coronavirus regulations. No doubt some may be disputed, but we shall see in the end where the courts decide.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Environment
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I think the hon. Gentleman is being a bit disingenuous. We know that because of some of the placards and posters at the demonstration: they seemed to be more about socialism and dismantling capitalism than about climate change. I understand that the SNP may want to do both of those things, but that has absolutely nothing to do with a greener planet.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Felicity Christiana Buchan (Conservative, Centre-right): We have seen the deployment of police helicopters to monitor the protests in central London, which causes disruption to residents. Clearly, the police need to do their job, but does my hon. Friend agree that we should only be using helicopters if absolutely necessary?
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): As the former London Assembly member for West Central, which includes the constituency of my hon. Friend, and as a resident of Pimlico for 20-odd years, I totally understand the disruption that a constant buzzing helicopter can cause and what an impact it can have on people trying to go about their life peaceably. I know that the police are very aware of the impact a helicopter can have and only deploy it in circumstances where it is demanded. I hope that over the next few years drone technology will develop such that we are able to substitute that highly polluting and very noise aircraft for an alternative.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I did come prepared to answer questions on Dover, and I am quite happy to do so if the hon. Gentleman wishes. Thankfully, that protest went off very quietly and there were not a huge number of protesters. Sadly, two police officers were injured or assaulted by protesters at the time, but it was dealt with very efficiently by Kent police. If the hon. Gentleman thinks there is a market for his views, he is perfectly free to start a newspaper, but I doubt he will sell many copies.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Mohammad Saqib Bhatti (Conservative, Centre-right): On behalf of the residents and constituents of Meriden, I would like to associate myself with the comments made in the House, and I pay tribute to the emergency services and the victims of the attack. Over the weekend, many of us refrained from commenting because, quite simply, the facts had not been established. We did not know the motive of the attacks, nor did we know who had committed them. However, the police and crime commissioner of the West Midlands said in a press conference that these types of attacks were "inevitable" given covid-19 and people losing jobs, which was quite frankly shocking and, in my view, tantamount to a surrender. Does the Minister agree that the PCC should rescind those comments and apologise, and does he agree that these attacks are not inevitable and that, as elected officials, we all have a responsibility to do everything we can to stop these attacks, including backing our police officers and keeping our police stations open?
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said earlier, I simply do not understand the comments of the police and crime commissioner. I had a call with him this morning, as hon. Members would expect, and these matters were not discussed. I have to say, however, that there is nothing inevitable about crime. A key plank of the approach of all Governments to crime has to be prevention. If we think smartly, work smartly and look at the complex causes of crime, we can and will prevent it in the future.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Shaun Stephen Bailey (Conservative, Centre-right): May I, too, echo the comments on and tributes to the fantastic West Midlands police for all the work they did following the events this weekend? The point raised by our police and crime commissioner in the West Midlands was of crime being "inevitable", but it is not inevitable for my communities in Wednesbury, Oldbury and Tipton, who have seen their police stations closed and their community policing undermined by this police and crime commissioner. Will my right hon. Friend give a reassurance to my communities, some of the most vulnerable in the west midlands, that this Government have their back, and will he meet me to discuss the campaign to keep Wednesbury and Tipton police stations open?
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I am more than happy to meet my hon. Friend to talk about the issues in his constituency. He is quite right, as I said earlier, that there is nothing inevitable about crime. If we accept an inevitability, we are basically abrogating our duty towards our fellow citizens to stretch every sinew in keeping them safe, and that is exactly what this Government will do.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): It will not surprise the hon. Lady to know that the Prime Minister, a former Mayor of London, and I, as his former deputy Mayor for policing and crime, take the issue of violent crime extremely seriously. That is why he set up the criminal justice taskforce, why he personally is leading the fight against crime in this country and why we have seen enormous changes in the crime landscape, not least the recruitment of 20,000 extra police officers, from which her area, like every area in the country, will benefit. It is worth saying and reiterating, as I said earlier, that the solutions to crime are complex and difficult and will require all of us to work together in that fight, and I hope she will join us in our fight against crime both in her constituency and elsewhere in the country.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Gary William Sambrook (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Minister join me in thanking Chief Superintendent Steve Graham and his team for their amazing work and bravery over the weekend in response to the terrible incident in Birmingham, especially in their fight to combat disinformation online and on social media? That work will not have been aided by the disgraceful comments of the police and crime commissioner, who tried to excuse this murderer before he had even been arrested.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that West Midlands police and the chief inspector will be very grateful for my hon. Friend’s support. It is always heartening when Members of Parliament know their local senior police officers by name, because it means that they have met them, talked to them, understand their job and support them. I am very pleased that he does that as well. I hope that he and everybody in his part of the world will join together in fighting the crimes that his community face.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s unequivocal support for protest but also for making sure that we investigate crime. As I understand it—obviously after every incident like this there will be a review and lessons to be learned—some of the delay that arose was around the tactics that XR used in erecting scaffolding and using glue and locks to attach themselves to the road and to other items. The police have the capability to deal with those issues, but it is largely in places like London where we see most of the protests, so we will have to review whether we need this capability elsewhere, and if so we will have to make it happen.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Suzanne Webb (Conservative, Centre-right): As a Brummie by birth, my thoughts go out to all the victims of this weekend’s appalling incident. But knife crime is not just a problem in our cities. In 2017, Ryan Passey was tragically killed at the hands of a knife bearer after an altercation in my constituency. Does my hon. Friend agree that there needs to be tougher action against those carrying knives and more understanding as to why people feel compelled to carry one in the first place?
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with my hon. Friend. Having met far too many victims of knife crime myself, I know she is absolutely right. It behoves us all—we all have a duty—to think carefully about what more we can do to address this terrible phenomenon. I do not understand what possesses somebody to take a knife out at night, not least because we know that if someone carries a knife they are actually more likely to be stabbed, not less, even if they are carrying it for self-defence. What we need to get to is a situation where people know that our public space is well guarded and is a lawful public space, and therefore feel safe enough that they do not have to carry a knife, even for self-defence.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): The classification or otherwise of any group depends on their conduct. Perhaps Extinction Rebellion, in its wider sense, needs to think about the group within its number that is employing these extreme tactics and whether that is appropriate for members of the organisation, but that is a matter for it. As I say, we constantly keep all these things under review, and it is a reflection of the conduct of individuals in society as to how they are classified.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Nicola Faye Richards (Conservative, Centre-right): West Midlands police did a remarkable job under difficult circumstances this weekend. I would like to say a special thank you to the emergency services involved, and my condolences go to the families of the victims. Can my hon. Friend assure me that, assuming that the suspect is convicted, this man will have the full weight of the law brought against him for these horrendous crimes? The people of Birmingham, like those in neighbouring West Bromwich East, demand that. We want everyone to know that the west midlands is a fantastic place to live and work.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): Notwithstanding my hon. Friend’s obvious concern for justice to be served for those victims, I obviously cannot comment on the case or, indeed, what the person who I understand is in custody is being held in custody in connection with. However, I know that those people who are involved in the investigation and then prosecution and conviction of whoever is identified as the perpetrator of this crime will certainly have the sentiments that she expressed in the front of their minds.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): Direct action is not the same thing as a crime. If the hon. Gentleman is saying that there are certain crimes that he wishes to ignore, then I am afraid the Opposition are in a very difficult place. I am the Minister for policing and crime, and when, under our current law as approved through this House, somebody commits a crime, I have no choice other than to condemn it.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Lee Anderson (Conservative, Centre-right): The people of Ashfield see no benefit in protesters gluing their ears to the pavement, spraying red dye on our monuments or camping out in trees on Parliament Square. Extinction Rebellion is now public nuisance No. 1 because of the disruption it causes, as well as the massive cost to our emergency services when, frankly, they have better things to do. Does my hon. Friend agree that this group should be classified as a crime group and feel the full weight of the law if it continues to disrupt members of the public going about their daily business?
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that my hon. Friend is the genuine voice of his constituents, and he will have received many emails from them on this issue. As I said earlier, the classification of any particular group depends on its conduct in society. Obviously, when a crime is committed, that should be investigated and prosecuted, and punished accordingly.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): Even before the events of this weekend, we were keeping the rules and regulations, the law and police powers around protest under constant review. As the hon. Lady will know, the nature of protest has changed quite significantly over the last 15 or 20 years, so she would expect that to happen, and it seems like a perfectly natural thing for us to do.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Environment
Alexander Paul Thomas Stafford (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister will know that there is no greater advocate for the environment or low carbon than me—I worked in the sector for many years—but does he not agree that the actions of Extinction Rebellion, whether vandalism, blockading or even threatening to have MPs shot in the head, as its founder said, undermine the good cause? Does he agree that we need to root out extremists, be they far left, far right or eco-extremists?
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): Once again, the hon. Gentleman asks a question that is outside my purview. Just to reassure nationalist colleagues, this Government have no problem with being urged to go further and faster, to achieve more and to aim higher. What we have a problem with is people who commit a crime in order to do so.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Joy Inboden Morrissey (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my hon. Friend join me in paying tribute to Thames Valley police for the excellent work they have done over the summer? We have had a summer of discontent, protests and, some would say, lawlessness. Does he agree that the public are looking to the police to restore law and order on our streets? I hope that we will give them full law and order with a crackdown, starting with Extinction Rebellion for its campaign against free speech, democratic values and the rule of law.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I can reassure my hon. Friend that, actually, our streets have been very orderly—often more orderly than usual—during the pandemic lockdown. Indeed, crime has been significantly lower than we would have expected, which is great news, notwithstanding the amplified impact of these protests. I am more than happy to congratulate Thames Valley police, and I will be able to do so tomorrow morning in person, because I am visiting them.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Environment
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): We are only criminalising people who commit criminal acts. That is the point, and we shall see where those charges eventually land. As I said, the Government have done an enormous amount on climate change, and while I do not have a problem with being urged to go further and faster, ignoring the progress we have made does no one any service.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Thomas Patrick Hunt (Conservative, Centre-right): My thoughts and condolences are with the victims of the attack in Birmingham. Yesterday a 13-year-old boy was threatened with a knife on Colchester Road in Ipswich and today, as my hon. Friend mentioned, there has been a tragic attack in Kesgrave, which is just outside Ipswich. Will he pledge to make sure that Suffolk constabulary has the resources it needs to tackle crime and also that those caught in possession of a bladed weapon fear the consequences? My fear right now is that they do not.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): As my hon. Friend knows, Suffolk will receive an uplift of police officers over the next few years, and I know it is making good progress on recruitment so far. Although he is right that those who perpetrate knife crime need to fear the consequences, the critical deterrent factor in crime is the perception of the likelihood of being caught. The recruitment of more police officers and the powers that we give them will help with that in Suffolk, as it will elsewhere.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said earlier, during my time at City Hall, when police officer numbers were much higher, we faced the same challenge with knife crime, but managed to drive it down, making significant reductions. We hope that we can do the same thing across the whole country, including in the west midlands, but we need support and help from people such as the hon. Lady and others to do so.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is quite right that that is the unfortunate effect of some of those protests. As I said earlier, the Metropolitan police has made over 600 arrests now, with dozens made over the weekend. Hopefully that is having an impact on the numbers, but we all want XR to think about the practical consequences of their protests, in terms of not just what we in this House think, but the impact on their fellow citizens.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): We are obviously going into a spending round and giving consideration, through the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, my Department and the Ministry of Justice, to what funding and capability we can point towards diverting young people away from crime. The hon. Lady will know that, happily, I am also in the middle of a process of engaging with the violence reduction units that we have funded across the country, to learn from them and understand what is working, so that we can promulgate that across the rest of the country.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Environment
William David Wiggin (Conservative, Centre-right): I have spoken many times in this House about the importance of regulating the press and how important I believe climate change is. People like me are so put off by what the XR people are doing. How do we communicate to them that they are really their own worst enemy?
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have said, I came prepared to answer questions on that protest. It was not deemed to be of a scale necessary to make a statement about, particularly given the impact of the events in Birmingham, but the hon. Gentleman is quite right in his assessment. I do condemn those protesters, in particular those who assaulted police officers.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Mark Julian Francis Pawsey (Conservative, Centre-right): I add my condolences to the victims of the horrendous events that took place in Birmingham early on Sunday morning, when the police and emergency services were clearly faced with a really challenging situation. From reading accounts in the media of what happened at that time, it seems that the perpetrator was at large an hour and a half after committing the first crime and continuing to commit further crimes. I just wondered whether that was a matter of concern to the Minister.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I wish I could comment on the circumstances of the case and the individual. Of course, I have been briefed by the chief constable. No doubt, in time, as this matter is brought before the courts, all will become apparent. Whatever happens, we will try to learn lessons from what happened on Saturday night.
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Greg Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with my hon. Friend in his comments earlier that a consequence of a protest turning to criminality has a cost in resources, time and priorities for our brave police officers. Will he therefore look at a legislative route that might enable us to reclaim policing costs from individuals and campaign groups when protest turns to criminality in their name?
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Jack Edgar Brereton (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for the increased resources going into policing in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. We here all condemn the unacceptable behaviour we have seen with recent protests. It is totally unacceptable to see people resorting to violence and to also see these larger gatherings when such gatherings are banned. Will my hon. Friend join me in ensuring that we send a strong message to those organising these events that they will be fined, and that action is being taken to ensure that such events will not be allowed to take place in future?
Birmingham Attacks and Extinction Rebellion Protests — House of Commons, 2020-09-07
Topic: Technology
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is exactly right. If anything, the protest highlighted—certainly to me and to many millions of our fellow citizens—the miracle that is a newspaper. Information is brought to us from across the globe and printed, dropping through the letterbox day after day without let or hindrance. If anything, the protest highlighted the value of that resource.