Mr Blair even urged Mr Howard to introduce extra measures to hit paedophiles and stalkers. Fearing he was being outbid in an anti-crime auction, Mr Howard hastily tabled the measures. Four years later, Mr Blair has now returned to the same auction with his own package. The message was supplemented last night with an anti-crime TV political broadcast advertising the Crimestoppers number. Mr Blair has been prompted by a stream of eloquent messages from his pollster, Philip Gould, in the spring that William Hague was gaining ground on crime.
Fear of crime is on the rise.
Labour strategists also concede that the overall drop in police numbers in this parliament could be its achilles heel in the election. The shadow home secretary, Ann Widdecombe, certainly intends to cite the figures in every TV studio in the country right through the election campaign. As to the bills themselves, Miss Widdecombe will not oppose them - just dismiss them. Labour clearly hopes that the headline measures, such as fixed penalty fines and extended curfews, will reassure its doubters. Most Labour MPs yesterday swallowed the anti-crime gimmickry as a necessary evil.