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WORLD> Europe
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Recession could spark rise in crime and extremism
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-01 17:25 A Home Office spokeswoman said on Monday that the letter contained draft advice to the prime minister's Downing Street office, but was never sent. "We do not normally comment on leaked documents but this is draft advice that the Home Secretary has not cleared and has not been sent to Number 10," the department added in a statement. "It is however appropriate that the Home Office considers the effects the economic climate may have on crime and other policy areas. "We are confident that we have the right systems in place to respond flexibly to changing economic needs, and are well-positioned to face future challenges." Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said the Home Office was "patently not equipped to cope" with a downturn. "It is deeply disturbing that a department as shambolic as the Home Office already is facing such problems as a result of the economic downturn," he said in a statement. The pound has suffered its worst month against the dollar since 1992, while house prices have fallen by more than 10 percent in a year. Bank of England policymaker David Blanchflower told Reuters last week that two million could be out of work by Christmas. |
