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| Save Our Streets |
Hundreds of News of the World readers demanded that the government start putting crime victims first at a special meeting.
The Save Our Streets roadshow reached the Labour Party conference in Manchester today, giving those whose families have been destroyed by street crime a chance to speak out.
Helen Newlove, widow of Garry, told the meeting "Why do the people who are responsible for these murders get put at the front of the queue because of the letter of the law, while the families of those killed are pushed aside?
"I could not give my daughters a hug after their dad died because they were a potential witness. That's just wrong."
Justice Secretary Jack Straw agreed the law MUST put victims first.
And he said he was trying to rewrite England's bail laws to keep potentially dangerous offenders behind bars while they await trial.
Chief Constable Peter Fahy, the new Greater Manchester Police chief said today's meeting would kickstart his pledge to listen to the problems of the people of Manchester.
He declared: "We can only make the streets safer if police and local people work closely together."
Top anti-gun campaigner Erinma Bell Mae warned communities cannot take action unless local anti-crime campaigns are properly supported and funded by the government.
And Street Pastor Tony Winter,a former gang member, warned Mr Straw that knife gangs are often the only people offering support or a future for thousands of young people.
Read the full report in next weekend's News of the World.
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