Home Office minister Lord Bassam yesterday praised Hove's high-profile policing initiative.

He said it was one of the things the Government had been pleased to see.

The former leader of Brighton Council said: "It is true we have had a lot of success with high-visibility policing. I congratulate the police in Hove for that. We want to see more of that and we want to see a continued drive against burglary and car crime.

"Crime nationally is falling. It has fallen by ten per cent over the last four years.

"We are the first post-war government to have gone to an election on the back of a decline in crime. We want to carry on that good work."

The Home Office minister spoke to The Argus as he visited Brighton and Hove Cricket Club yesterday afternoon with its vice-chairman Ivor Caplin, Labour's candidate for the Hove and Portslade seat.

Earlier in the day they visited the former Polyclinic site in Holmes Avenue, Hove, now earmarked for a proposed extension to specialist mental health hospital Millview.

The hospital has received £4.5 million in Government cash to develop its facilities, including single rooms with en-suite facilities for 35 patients and a voluntary in-patient treatment area for people with drug and alcohol problems.

Lord Bassam was shown around the specialist hospital by Quintin Barry, chairman of South Downs NHS Trust.

Afterwards, Lord Bassam and Mr Caplin shared lunch with residents at the Emmaus community, a charity providing a community and employment for homeless people, in Portslade.

Lord Bassam told The Argus Government policies were working and Labour deserved a second term to develop the work it had started.

The people of Brighton and Hove had benefited from Chancellor Gordon Brown's competent handling of the national economy and people were responding to the Gov-

ernment's policies. This could be judged by Labour's huge lead in the opinion polls.

Lord Bassam said: "We are pumping in more money to health and education. There are better and higher levels of funding for other major services, including the police.

"People are seeing that we are a government that will deliver on its commitments.

"Other things which have come up while I have been going around have been things like New Deal.

"We have reduced unemployment by more than a million. We are committed to continuing pension increases into the next parliament.

"We are putting more money into public transport.

"People realise it takes more than four years to turn round what I see as the very negative impact of the government before 1997. People want us to have a second term and they want to see us get on with the job we have begun."

Peter Bottomley, Conservative candidate for West Worthing, accused Labour of wasting its chances.

He said: "Labour is asking for a second chance at government, not a second term.

"Many of the things which Labour said they would improve, they have actually made worse.

"Many of the doctors and nurses in the health service are demoralised.

"As far as the Health Service is concerned it has been four years wasted under Labour."

Harold de Souza, Liberal Democrat candidate for Hove, also accused Labour of failing to deliver its election promises.

He said: "Forget the money, just look at the numbers at the moment. They promised more doctors, nurses, teachers and lecturers. But where are they?

"Departments are being restructured and slimmed down yet the same levels of results are expected.

"Labour has taken on Conservative policies to get itself elected and now it can be seen for what it is, the Conservatives in pink clothing."

Nigel Donovan, Liberal candidate for Hove, said Labour had failed to deliver on law and order. He said: "They promised to release money to put more bobbies on the beat. They have failed to do so.

"Not only do I want to see more bobbies on the beat, I also want to see more local police stations opened."

May 30, 2001