Liberal Democrats slam "grotesque" invasion of privacy

Bedford and Kempston have slammed Labour's decision to go ahead with ID Cards pointing out that the money could be much better spent on putting more police directly onto our streets.

Bedfordshire police authority could afford more than 200 police officers per year if the ID Cards were scrapped.

This would enable the police in Bedford to fight knife crime even more effectively, deal with illegal traveller and gypsy encampments, and put more police directly on our streets.

Henry Vann, Liberal Democrat parliamentary campaigner, said:

"With more police and more funding, our police authority would be able to deal with knife crime more effectively, deal with and illegal traveller and gypsy encampments swiftly, and lower crime further.

"Instead, our officers and chief inspector do fantastic work under pressure from a government which doesn't even respect them enough to give them a with-inflation pay rise.

"This government disgracefully under-funds our valuable and hard-working police officers on the front line just so that it can invade our privacy by wasting our money.

"Lets not forget that the people of Bedford will also have to pay just to get an ID Card, and during the recession, we do not want to have to pay out more in a poll-tax from Labour.

"Patrick Hall should be ashamed that he not only voted in ID Cards, but also voted to keep the cost we will each have to pay just to have one."