---

Ethnic Minority Police

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he intends police forces to meet the target for ethnic minority police in areas with a very small percentage of ethnic minorities. [73679]

Mr. Boateng: Individual targets will be set for each force for the recruitment, retention and progression of ethnic minority officers. These targets will inevitably have regard to the minority ethnic population of the community served by the individual police force.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many ethnic minority police officers Cumbria Constabulary will need to recruit to meet a 7 per cent. ethnic minority target. [73680]

Mr. Boateng: No targets have yet been set. For the police service broadly to reflect the minority ethnic population of England and Wales, there would need to be an overall ethnic minority representation of at least 6 per cent. Each force will be asked to set targets for recruitment, retention and progression for ethnic minority officers. Force targets will have regard to ethnic composition of the community served.

The minority ethnic population in Cumbria is approximately 0.4 per cent. of the total population of the area. Inevitably, this will mean that targets for this area will be below the national average.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how dispersed asylum seekers are to be taken into account in determining whether the target for ethnic minority police has been met. [73677]

Mr. Boateng: The police service needs to reflect the communities it serves, which means that, taking England and Wales as a whole, the aim should be for minority ethnic representation of at least six per cent. Not all minority ethnic residents in an area will be eligible to join the police, but it is unlikely that the number of asylum seekers measured against the total population will have a significant impact on targets.

"Bride of Chucky Doll"

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the film "Bride of Chucky Doll". [73318]

Mr. Boateng: I have received one letter from a Member of this House on behalf of a constituent and will be responding shortly.

2 Mar 1999 : Column: 632

Automated Fingerprint Recognition System

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress with the Automated Fingerprint Recognition System. [73501]

Mr. Boateng: I am advised by the Police Information Technology Organisation that the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) Programme, following some restructuring of the implementation plan, is on track to complete roll-out to all 43 police forces in England and Wales by April 2001. The transition phase has already commenced, with 11 forces operating Bureau Foundation Services and new bureau installations being welcomed into NAFIS at an average rate of one per month.

Asylum Seekers (Sexuality)

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers, and from which countries, are seeking asylum on account of their sexuality. [73552]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I regret that information on the number of persons claiming asylum on grounds of persecution due to their sexuality is not available.

Racial Incidents (Policing)

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons his Department's studies of (a) young offenders from different ethnic groups and (b) the policing of racial incidents was commissioned; what are the terms of reference of the study; how is it being conducted; what reports he has received on the findings of the study to date; and when in Spring 1999 the final report will be published. [73351]

Mr. Boateng: Both studies were originally approved in February 1995, when the right hon. Gentleman was Minister of State. The details are as follows:

Young Offenders from Different Ethnic Groups

A number of research studies have provided evidence of ethnic differences at each stage of the criminal justice process. This study has interviewed matched samples of young offenders of different ethnic origins to shed light on the various reasons for this. The findings are being written up and the report is likely to be published within the next four months.

Police recording of racial incidents

This study forms part of a wider study of police ethnic monitoring. The first part was published in December 1997 as "Ethnic Monitoring in Police Forces: a Beginning" (FitzGerald and Sibbitt, HORS 173). The second part is now in draft and examines:

(a) which incidents the police record as "racial incidents";

(b) which incidents are not recorded, despite meeting the definition of a "racial incident";

(c) the reasons for any mis-recording or under-recording; and

(d) the scope for improvement.

Publication is also expected within four months or so.

Neither of the reports has yet been put to me.

2 Mar 1999 : Column: 633

PC Dunne

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will hold an independent judicial inquiry into the decision not to bring to trial the men arrested for the murder of PC Dunne in Clapham. [73684]

Mr. Boateng: I have no plans to establish an independent judicial inquiry into the decision not to bring to trial the three men arrested in connection with the murders of PC Patrick Dunne and Mr. William Danso in Clapham on 20 October 1993. Following the arrest and charging of the three men, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) sought the opinion of Treasury Counsel, who advised that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the charges of murder and conspiracy to murder. During the course of the investigation where further evidence was discovered, this opinion was re-examined by Counsel, but it was concluded that there was still insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of convictions, a conclusion accepted by the CPS and the Metropolitan Police Service.

I understand from the Metropolitan police that whilst this investigation remains an active inquiry, no new evidence has since come to light which would cause either the CPS or Counsel to reconsider their opinion. The three men originally charged were subsequently sentenced to lengthy periods of imprisonment for various serious offences of violence, blackmail and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life.

Community Service

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the advantages and

2 Mar 1999 : Column: 634

disadvantages of requiring those serving community service sentences to wear high-visibility marked protective clothing to make their participation apparent to the public. [73614]

Mr. George Howarth: We shall bear this suggestion in mind. Protective clothing is already provided where necessary for health and safety reasons.

Police Radio

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the Police Service Radio Communications Project. [73687]

Mr. Boateng: I am advised by the Police Information Technology Organisation that negotiations for the award of contract for the Public Service Radio Communications Project (PSRCP) are now entering their final stage, with the aim of completing them in the summer.

Lancashire Constabulary is the pilot force for the project. The pilot should be installed this year, with evaluation in early 2000.

Stalking

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for stalking since the passage of the relevant Act; how many were successful; and what sentence was passed in each case. [73504]

Mr. Boateng: The relevant sections 1, 2 and 4 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 came into force on 16 June 1997. Data are given in the table for 1997 and provisionally, for the period January to June 1998.

2 Mar 1999 : Column: 633

Number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates' courts and sentenced at all courts for offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (1) by result, England and Wales, 1997 and January to June 1998 (2)

	Section 2 Offence of harassment		Section 4 Putting people in fear of violence
	1997	(2)1998 January to June	1997	(2)1998 January to June
Total proceeded against	507	1,180	243	712
Total sentenced(3)	248	1,013	76	239
Absolute or conditional discharge	99	351	17	59
Fine	56	236	16	46
Community sentence(4)	48	268	24	71
Fully suspended sentence	3	5	1	2
Immediate custody(5)	33	113	16	52
Other	9	40	2	9

(1) Came into force on 16 June 1997

(2) Provisional

(3) Includes defendants proceeded against and found guilty at magistrates' courts who were committed to the Crown Court for sentence

(4) Includes probation order, supervision order, attendance centre order, community service order, combination order and curfew order

(5) Includes detention in a Young Offender Institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment

2 Mar 1999 : Column: 633

---