Last month I launched my new campaign Calling Time on Crime.

It is driven by a determination to tackle the rising level of violent crime in our area - something that effects our community as a whole.

I have been quite stunned by the response so far with hundreds of people filling in the online survey to record your experience of crime and what you think needs to be done about it.

What is abundantly clear is that this is now the No 1 issue in our community.

If we are going to achieve the change that we need not just in my constituency of Dagenham and Rainham, but right across Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge, we have to speak with one voice and demand that the government properly invest in our frontline police.

The Tories have already stripped £400m of policing in the capital, which is why it is vital that we work with the Mayor’s Office and the local council to develop a strategy to target and reduce crime while making absolutely clear to the government that cuts and diminshed resources can never be the answer.

Saving Dagenham police station last year was just the beginning. The government must step up and give our police the support they need to keep our streets safe, particularly in high crime areas like Barking and Dagenham.

Over the years the local community have achieved great things when it has come together with a single purpose.

This isn’t something that is going to be solved overnight with a quick fix.

To sign the petition visit joncruddas.org.uk/calling-time-crime