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Closed Circuit Television
10. Mr. Ben Chapman (Wirral, South): How much funding his Department will provide in the current financial year to support CCTV schemes. [126128]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Mr. Charles Clarke): Under the crime reduction programme CCTV initiative, we are investing £153 million over three years in new or extended CCTV systems in England and Wales. Nearly £60 million of capital funding has already been allocated to crime and disorder reduction partnerships to support more than 340 CCTV schemes. Partnerships have begun to bid for the remaining £90 million under a rolling programme of funding that will run until the end of 2001. Details of any new CCTV awards will continue to be posted on the Home Office website.
Mr. Chapman: My hon. Friend will be aware that several CCTV schemes in the Wirral have been or are about to be approved and that such schemes are effective in reducing crime. However, there is a related issue of the trading environment: for example, in my constituency, the shopkeepers and licensees of New Ferry are collaborating to improve the trading environment in a small community shopping area; they believe that CCTV's effect on youth theft and vandalism, general crime and night-time disturbances would be such that local people's shopping facilities could be much improved. Does my hon. Friend agree that, although the money made available so far is welcome, far more needs to be made available, so that areas such as New Ferry can tackle such issues?
Mr. Clarke: My hon. Friend makes an important point, which explains why the guidelines for the further rolling-round that we published in February emphasise, first, the need for joint bids from local authorities and local business, because there are significant economies of scale to be made, and secondly, the need to go for schemes on small shopping precincts outside the city centres, which have not always been economic. The guidelines on the web set out clearly how that can be achieved. I hope that my hon. Friend's crime reduction partnership in the Wirral will produce proposals which meet that point and the points that he raised in his question.
Mr. Edward Leigh (Gainsborough): CCTV cameras are quite effective against young vandals, but if the young vandals were not on the streets in the first place, that would be even more effective. How many child curfew orders have been issued since the Crime and Disorder Act 1998? If, as I suspect, the answer is none, how great has the impact of such orders been in keeping young vandals off the street? Is this a new example of zero tolerance, or perhaps of the third way? The first way is to do something, the second way is to do nothing, and the third way--the Government's way--is to do nothing but put a spin on it.
Mr. Clarke: The hon. Gentleman's cynicism is uncharacteristic. It is unfortunate that the various
anti-social behaviour orders and child curfew orders--[Hon. Members: "How many?] There have been very few. Those orders have been opposed down the line by the Opposition. We are doing our best, as my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary described, to roll out the anti-social behaviour orders. CCTV is an effective weapon to help to ensure that young people in all areas of towns and cities behave in a social way. We intend to keep on funding that programme to a much greater extent than the Conservatives ever did.
Dr. Nick Palmer (Broxtowe): Does my hon. Friend accept that the guidelines issued by the Data Protection Commissioner for the use of CCTV have largely allayed the fears expressed by some people about their operation? Will he accept the congratulations of people in Beeston and Kimberley in my constituency, who greatly welcome the imminent arrival of the cameras as a major step forward in combating youth crime in our area?
Mr. Clarke: As my hon. Friend says, some of the doubts that existed have been allayed by the guidelines. I know that many constituents of many hon. Members are delighted by the CCTV schemes that we have introduced and paid for, which are setting about reducing crime and disorder consistently and effectively.
Public Safety Radio Communications Project
11. Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): What estimate he has made of the impact on police budgets of the public safety radio communications project. [126129]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Mr. Charles Clarke): Once the service is fully established across England and Wales, the cost of the public safety radio communications service is estimated to be £157 million per year at today's prices for the police service. Currently, that represents about 2 per cent. of police authority budgets in England and Wales. In addition, there will be costs to forces in buying control room and radio terminal equipment and so on, but many of those costs would be incurred irrespective of the public safety radio communications service. The allocation of £50 million from the capital modernisation fund to the service, which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in September 1999, will go towards reducing the cost of the service during the first few years of operation.
Miss McIntosh: I thank the Minister for that reply. Does he share my concern that although the Government have agreed with North Yorkshire police to top-slice its budget, the rurality factor should be taken into account? It must be recognised that the new equipment cannot be shared in sparsely populated rural areas such as North Yorkshire. Is the Minister aware that 16 per cent. of North Yorkshire's operational budget is currently spent on retirement pensions, and that 50 per cent. of it goes on early retirement for police officers? Will that also be taken into account in future budgets?
Mr. Clarke: I have discussed with the chief constable of North Yorkshire--the force covering the hon. Lady's constituency--the important benefit of the national police project to her constituency, perhaps more so than to many other police authorities, because of the geography of the
area. The police force recognises what we are doing. On rurality, may I point out to the hon. Lady that my right hon. Friend announced 10 days or so ago an extra £15 million for rural forces in the current year to meet some of the costs associated with rural forces? The Government can say that we are doing a great deal for rural forces and will continue to do so.
Dr. Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East): Now that Ray Mallon and seven Cleveland officers have been cleared of any criminal charges, what will the Government do to bring Operation Lancet to an end? It has been a great drain on public resources, on the police budget--
Madam Speaker: Order. I am sorry, but that does not relate to the question at all.
Police Manpower (Essex)
12. Mr. Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): How many police officers were (a) in place and (b) funded on (i) 31 March 2000 and (ii) 31 March 1997 in Essex. [126130]
The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Jack Straw): The Essex police had 2,961 police officers on 31 March 1997, which I understand was in line with their budgeted plans. I have been informed by the chief constable that the Essex police had 2,809 police officers on 31 March 2000 compared with a budgeted figure of 2,859. It is for chief officers to determine the number of officers to be funded within the overall resources available to them. Specific funding is being made available to Essex under the crime fighting fund to enable it to recruit 103 officers in addition to existing plans over the coming two years.
Mr. Burns: However likeable the Home Secretary is, it would help if he would cut some of the flannel and spin, because the figures show that there are fewer police officers in Essex now than in March 1997. Does he accept that, notwithstanding the 103 funded officers for the future about whom he spoke, his announcement on Friday of the increased money for the Metropolitan police has produced the double whammy that people in Essex who want to be police officers will be drawn to the Met to serve because they will earn more money, and existing officers in the Essex constabulary will resign and move to the Met because the financial differentiation will be £6,000?
Mr. Straw: The hon. Gentleman's initial criticism was not well placed. I answered the questions that he asked, and just that.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Mr. Charles Clarke): Shame.
Mr. Straw: That is always my aim in the House, from wherever questions come, as it is my hon. Friend's too.
I was delighted to announce to the House last Friday that, from next week, Metropolitan police officers appointed after 1 September 1994 will receive an increase of £3,300 in their allowance, because there have been specific recruitment and retention problems for those
groups of Met officers in London. We understand the concerns of police forces in the outer London area and in the home counties. My hon. Friend and I have had a number of discussions with the chief officers concerned--of Thames Valley police in my case, and Essex and a number of other services--
Mr. Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): And Surrey.
Mr. Oliver Heald (North-East Hertfordshire): And Hertfordshire.
Mr. Straw: And Hertfordshire, and Kent.
Sir Patrick Cormack (South Staffordshire): And Staffordshire.
Mr. Straw: Staffordshire is not a home county.
We have told all those chief officers that we understand their concern, but that we need detailed evidence from them on recruitment problems of the same kind that we had from the Metropolitan police service in respect of its problems. If we have that evidence we can take steps to deal with the problem.
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