Nick Herbert appointed Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice
Arundel & South Downs MP Nick Herbert has been appointed Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice in the new coalition Government.
He will be based at the Home Office but will also work at the Ministry of Justice, where he will have responsibility for criminal justice strategy.
As Shadow Minister for Police Reform, Mr Herbert developed ideas to improve policing by cutting bureaucracy and increasing accountability, replacing police authorities with directly elected individuals.
Later, as Shadow Justice Secretary, he drew up a radical plan for reform of prisons, with the aim of reducing re-offending by paying for rehabilitation services by results.
Mr Herbert commented: "It's a great privilege to serve in the new Government and I am looking forward to the real challenge of reforming the criminal justice system and ensuring that we keep communities safe.
"At a time when the public finances are under huge pressure, we will need to find new ways of working to deliver results. I'm determined to cut the bureaucracy which bedevils policing, so that we can protect frontline services and ensure that police officers are out on the streets where people want to see them."
Mr Herbert also thanked the people of Arundel and South Downs for giving him the opportunity to represent them in Parliament for another term. "It's a huge honour to have served the people of this area for the past five years and to have been re-elected on 6 May. It's the most beautiful constituency in England and I will work hard to keep it that way."
The MP added: "Fridays and Saturdays will still have priority as my constituency days. I will continue to represent everybody to the best of my ability, irrespective of Party, and will do everything I can to support individuals and communities and to be a conscientious local Member of Parliament."
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. Nick Herbert was first elected as the MP for Arundel and South Downs in 2005 and increased his majority on 6 May to more than 16,000, winning over 57 per cent of the vote.
2. For a copy of Policing for the People, visit http://www.conservatives.com/pdf/policereform.pdf.
3. For a copy of Prisons with a Purpose, visit http://www.conservatives.com/~/media/Files/Green%20Papers/Prisons_Policy_Paper.ashx?dl=true.
4. The full coalition agreement, with sections on Crime & Policing and Justice, can be viewed at: http://www.conservatives.com/~/media/Files/Downloadable%20Files/coalition-programme.ashx?dl=true.