As a Minister in the Home Office, my focus has changed slightly from the legal perspective as Solicitor General, to a more overall view of crime and law and order. As a former barrister, I have always had a particular interest in upholding law and order and justice, and I’m pleased this can continue. Of course, I’m still a local MP, as well as being a Government Minister.
Sometimes these two roles combine – as with my recent visit to the Dorset Police Marine Unit. I was there as a Government Minister to discuss their progress on stopping organised crime, and protecting our borders, and it’s also my local force. Amongst other things, I saw first-hand the important role the Marine Unit plays in protecting our border and stopping people smugglers and illegal migrants from reaching our shores undetected. It was useful to discuss the challenges they face on the coastline – and I got the chance to get out on the water with the team. It is clear that the challenge we’re facing with illegal Channel crossings affects the whole south coast, not just Kent.
During Apprenticeship week I chatted to some Border Force apprentices about their work. Our Border Force work tirelessly 24/7 to keep our country secure, and it was great to see the work that they are doing at our airports.
One of my responsibilities as a Minister is speaking on behalf of the Government in debates. This might be to open the debate and introduce the topic, or it might be to close the debate after other colleagues have spoken. Recently I have spoken in various different debates about knife crime. I was pleased to be able to highlight the work being done here in Dorset by our Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick. We have the second lowest rate of knife crime across England and Wales, but we are not complacent. I am pleased that in Parliament we have passed strong legislation to ban zombie-style knives, and we are increasing the penalties for carrying knives. I will continue to support our police forces in the work that they do, and I thank them for their service to our communities.
I continue to hold regular surgeries in the constituency so please do get in touch if there is something you need help with, or if you’d like me to visit your organisation or business. Email me on [email protected] or contact my office on 01202 624216. You can also follow what I’ve been doing on Twitter @Michael4mdnp or Facebook www.facebook.com/michael4MDNP or on my website www.michaeltomlinson.org.uk
