Children's Homes
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of missing children from children's homes have been investigated by the police since 1970; how many had led to the missing children being traced; and how many are currently under investigation. [129768]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
There is no evidence of such information having been recorded or held centrally. The information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. However, we have accepted the recommendations of the Waterhouse Report which identified the need for the police and care homes to create a record of missing children. We will take forward the recommendations through an inter-agency review of best practice in conducting complex abuse investigations. A Review Group is being established to take forward this work,
13 Jul 2000 : Column: 665W
bringing together representatives from the Home Office, Department of Health, Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Social Services and the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Police Training College, Hendon
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have attended training programmes at the Metropolitan Police training college at Hendon in the last 12 months. [129823]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
In the 12 months ended 31 March 2000, 9,342 officers from the Metropolitan Police attended courses at the Peel Centre, Hendon.
The courses attended included probationer training, detective courses, driver and traffic training, dog training, firearms, computer and management courses.
Domestic Violence
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress in reducing the incidence of domestic violence in England. [129937]
Mr. Boateng:
The Government have made available from the Crime Reduction Programme £7 million for projects addressing domestic violence and rape and sexual assault by known perpetrators. I was pleased to announce the successful bids on 10 July. Of these, 25, costing a total of £5.3 million, deal with aspects of domestic violence. We expect this major commitment to lead to more women reporting these offences and in the longer term to a significant fall in the actual number of offences being committed.
This initiative complements a range of Government measures to ensure that the problem of domestic violence is tackled effectively, including in the last four months new multi-agency guidance, a new resources manual for Health Service professionals and a new Home Office Circular to
13 Jul 2000 : Column: 666W
the police. Our other initiatives and commitments are set out in the joint Home Office/Women's Unit publication, "Living with Fear: an integrated approach to tackling violence against women", published in June 1999.
Crime/Police Manpower
Tony Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent evidence he has collated on the correlation between the level of crime and (a) police numbers and (b) police funding. [129496]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
In response to the intervention of the right hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) in the debate on the Crime Reduction Strategy on 29 November 1999, Official Report, columns 21-38, officials in my Research, Development and Statistics Directorate assembled information on changes in police numbers and recorded crime rates between (i) 1996-97 and 1998-99; and (ii) 1993-94 and 1998-99. The analysis is set out in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 shows that 12 of the 21 top performing forces had falls in police numbers over the last two years, whereas in the other group of 22 forces, 14 had falls. At the individual force level, however, there seems little obvious statistical link between performance and police numbers. Table 2 shows that, over five years, there is little difference in the number of forces with falls in numbers in the top 21 forces and the bottom 22. Again, though, there is a very mixed picture overall, with the statistical relationship between police numbers and changes in crime over this period weak.
Other analysis by the Research, Development and Statistics Directorate around the same time also looked at the correlation at police force level between the changes in numbers of crimes, police numbers and police funding. The results are in Table 1. They show no association that carries much statistical weight when comparing forces. The strongest association is between increasing budgets leading to increasing officers.
Historic figures on overall police numbers in England and Wales and the total number of recorded crimes are in the Library.
13 Jul 2000 : Column: 665W
Table 1: Percentage change in recorded crime rates 1996-97 to 1998-99 and percentage change in police numbers
| Number offences per 100,000 population | Police numbers
|
|---|
| 1996-97 | 1998-99 | Percentage change | Percentage change | Fall/rise
|
|---|
| 1 Kent | 9,140 | 7,040 | -23 | -1.8 | Fall 1
|
| 2 Gwent | 10,477 | 8,508 | -19 | 0.3 | Rise
|
| 3 Gloucestershire | 9,583 | 7,867 | -18 | -2.5 | Fall 2
|
| 4 Lincolnshire | 7,796 | 6,412 | -18 | -4.8 | Fall 3
|
| 5 Northumbria | 11,201 | 9,271 | -17 | 4.4 | Rise
|
| 6 West Mercia | 7,367 | 6,166 | -16 | -0.8 | Fall 4
|
| 7 South Yorkshire | 11,248 | 9,538 | -15 | 0.3 | Rise
|
| 8 Hampshire | 7,666 | 6,525 | -15 | 0.6 | Rise
|
| 9 Bedfordshire | 9,341 | 7,957 | -15 | -4.8 | Fall 5
|
| 10 Cleveland | 13,358 | 11,465 | -14 | -3.0 | Fall 6
|
| 11 Lancashire | 8,585 | 7,379 | -14 | -0.1 | Fall 7
|
| 12 Cambridgeshire | 9,713 | 8,379 | -14 | -2.1 | Fall 8
|
| 13 Avon and Somerset | 10,323 | 8,926 | -14 | 0.4 | Rise
|
| 14 Surrey | 5,355 | 4,638 | -13 | 2.6 | Rise
|
| 15 Devon and Cornwall | 6,573 | 5,703 | -13 | 0.8 | Rise
|
| 16 Hertfordshire | 6,110 | 5,307 | -13 | -2.0 | Fall 9
|
| 17 Essex | 6,578 | 5,722 | -13 | -2.4 | Fall 10
|
| 18 Durham | 8,326 | 7,262 | -13 | 7.4 | Rise
|
| 19 North Wales | 6,375 | 5,575 | -13 | 1.6 | Rise
|
| 20 Nottinghamshire | 13,575 | 11,983 | -12 | -4.2 | Fall 11
|
| 21 North Yorkshire | 7,341 | 6,558 | -11 | -0.1 | Fall 12
|
| 22 Metropolitan Police District | 11,264 | 10,084 | -10 | -2.3 | Fall 1
|
| 23 Dorset | 7,098 | 6,386 | -10 | -0.4 | Fall 2
|
| 24 Suffolk | 5,709 | 5,143 | -10 | 0.9 | Rise
|
| 25 Norfolk | 7,249 | 6,534 | -10 | -3.5 | Fall 3
|
| 26 Leicestershire | 9,738 | 8,796 | -10 | 2.3 | Rise
|
| 27 West Midlands | 11,597 | 10,511 | -9 | 2.9 | Rise
|
| 28 Staffordshire | 8,773 | 7,969 | -9 | 1.2 | Rise
|
| 29 Cheshire | 6,657 | 6,050 | -9 | 1.2 | Rise
|
| 30 Cumbria | 7,852 | 7,147 | -9 | -1.5 | Fall 4
|
| 31 Warwickshire | 7,666 | 7,081 | -8 | -2.0 | Fall 5
|
| 32 Wiltshire | 5,943 | 5,503 | -7 | -0.3 | Fall 6
|
| 33 Sussex | 8,092 | 7,494 | -7 | -7.7 | Fall 7
|
| 34 Dyfed-Powys | 3,967 | 3,737 | -6 | 2.2 | Rise
|
| 35 Thames Valley | 8,224 | 7,750 | -6 | 1.4 | Rise
|
| 36 Merseyside | 9,757 | 9,240 | -5 | -0.5 | Fall 8
|
| 37 West Yorkshire | 12,311 | 11,679 | -5 | -4.4 | Fall 9
|
| 38 Derbyshire | 8,072 | 7,670 | -5 | -1.8 | Fall 10
|
| 39 South Wales | 10,099 | 9,780 | -3 | 0.2 | Rise
|
| 40 Humberside | 13,801 | 13,483 | -2 | -3.4 | Fall 11
|
| 41 Northamptonshire | 9,178 | 9,150 | 0 | -3.3 | Fall 12
|
| 42 Greater Manchester | 12,437 | 13,071 | 5 | -1.6 | Fall 13
|
| 43 City of London | 91,405 | 115,282 | 26 | -9.4 | Fall 14
|
| | | | | |
|
| England and Wales | 9,515 | 8,584 | -10 | -1.0 | --
|
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13 Jul 2000 : Column: 667W
Changes between 1996-97 and 1998-99
| Number offences per 100,000 population | Police numbers
|
|---|
| 1996-97 | 1998-99 | Percentage change | Percentage change | Fall/rise
|
|---|
| Top 21 forces | 8,790 | 7,464 | -15 | -0.2 | -88
|
| Average | | | -15 | -0.5 | -4
|
| | | | | |
|
| Bottom 21 forces | 10,015 | 9,363 | -7 | -1.4 | -1,122
|
| Average | | | -5 | -1.4 | -51
|
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13 Jul 2000 : Column: 667W
Table 2: Percentage change in recorded crime rates 1993-94 and percentage change in police numbers
| Number offences per 100,000 population | Police numbers
|
|---|
| 1993-94 | 1998-99 | Percentage change | Percentage change | Fall/rise
|
|---|
| 1 Northumbria | 14,658 | 9,271 | -37 | 6.7 | Rise
|
| 2 Durham | 11,024 | 7,262 | -34 | 13.4 | Rise
|
| 3 Kent | 10,346 | 7,040 | -32 | 1.8 | Rise
|
| 4 Gloucestershire | 11,519 | 7,867 | -32 | -4.7 | Fall 1
|
| 5 Surrey | 6,644 | 4,638 | -30 | -0.4 | Fall 2
|
| 6 Devon and Cornwall | 7,876 | 5,703 | -28 | -0.9 | Fall 3
|
| 7 Dyfed-Powys | 5,082 | 3,737 | -26 | 6.3 | Rise
|
| 8 Cheshire | 8,180 | 6,050 | -26 | 8.9 | Rise
|
| 9 Bedfordshire | 10,750 | 7,957 | -26 | -9.5 | Fall 4
|
| 10 Avon and Somerset | 11,853 | 8,926 | -25 | -1.1 | Fall 5
|
| 11 Lincolnshire | 8,451 | 6,412 | -24 | -5.4 | Fall 6
|
| 12 Essex | 7,504 | 5,722 | -24 | -1.6 | Fall 7
|
| 13 Hampshire | 8,420 | 6,525 | -23 | 6.2 | Rise
|
| 14 Warwickshire | 9,131 | 7,081 | -22 | -13.2 | Fall 8
|
| 15 Nottinghamshire | 15,406 | 11,983 | -22 | -4.4 | Fall 9
|
| 16 Wiltshire | 7,022 | 5,503 | -22 | -8.9 | Fall 10
|
| 17 Suffolk | 6,547 | 5,143 | -21 | -1.5 | Fall 11
|
| 18 South Yorkshire | 12,133 | 9,538 | -21 | 4.8 | Rise
|
| 19 Thames Valley | 9,843 | 7,750 | -21 | -4.1 | Fall 12
|
| 20 North Wales | 7,079 | 5,575 | -21 | 2.9 | Rise
|
| 21 South Wales | 12,326 | 9,780 | -21 | -4.8 | Fall 13
|
| 22 Lancashire | 9,240 | 7,379 | -20 | 2.4 | Rise
|
| 23 Norfolk | 8,142 | 6,534 | -20 | -4.5 | Fall 1
|
| 24 Derbyshire | 9,479 | 7,670 | -19 | -3.4 | Fall 2
|
| 25 North Yorkshire | 8,098 | 6,558 | -19 | 1.4 | Rise
|
| 26 Leicestershire | 10,854 | 8,796 | -19 | 9.2 | Rise
|
| 27 Cleveland | 14,130 | 11,465 | -19 | -0.9 | Fall 3
|
| 28 Dorset | 7,870 | 6,386 | -19 | -1.4 | Fall 4
|
| 29 Hertfordshire | 6,524 | 5,307 | -19 | 2.5 | Rise
|
| 30 West Yorkshire | 14,276 | 11,679 | -18 | -1.3 | Fall 5
|
| 31 Cumbria | 8,670 | 7,147 | -18 | -4.1 | Fall 6
|
| 32 City of London | 139,333 | 115,282 | -17 | -12.9 | Fall 7
|
| 33 Metropolitan Police District | 12,123 | 10,084 | -17 | -5.9 | Fall 8
|
| 34 West Mercia | 7,409 | 6,166 | -17 | -1.7 | Fall 9
|
| 35 West Midlands | 12,416 | 10,511 | -15 | 4.4 | Rise
|
| 36 Humberside | 15,839 | 13,483 | -15 | -3.2 | Fall 10
|
| 37 Staffordshire | 9,293 | 7,969 | -14 | 1.3 | Rise
|
| 38 Cambridgeshire | 9,417 | 8,379 | -11 | 0.9 | Rise
|
| 39 Northamptonshire | 9,943 | 9,150 | -8 | -2.8 | Fall 11
|
| 40 Greater Manchester | 13,804 | 13,071 | -5 | -2.3 | Fall 12
|
| 41 Merseyside | 9,735 | 9,240 | -5 | -10.3 | Fall 13
|
| 42 Gwent | 8,815 | 8,508 | -3 | 25.6 | Rise
|
| 43 Sussex | 7,562 | 7,494 | -1 | -5.4 | Fall 14
|
| | | | | |
|
| England and Wales | 10,605 | 8,584 | -19 | -1.6 | --
|
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13 Jul 2000 : Column: 669W
Changes between 1993-94 and 1998-99
| Number offences per 100,000 population | Police numbers
|
|---|
| 1993-94 | 1998-99 | Percentage change | Percentage change | Fall/rise
|
|---|
| Top 21 forces | 9,969 | 7,464 | -25 | 0.2 | 74
|
| Average | | | -26 | -0.5 | 4
|
| | | | | |
|
| Bottom 21 forces | 11,070 | 9,363 | -15 | -2.5 | -2,039
|
| Average | | | -14 | -0.6 | -93
|
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13 Jul 2000 : Column: 669W
Table 3: Forces ranked by percentage change in (a) number of recorded notifiable offences; (b) number of police officers, and (3) police force budgets: 1993-94 to 1998-99
| Rank of crime decrease(11) | Rank of change in police numbers increase(11) | Rank of change in budget increase(11) | Percentage change CrimeNumbersBudget
|
|---|
| Northumbria | 1 | 5 | 10 | -37.3 | 6.7 | 28.3
|
| Durham | 2 | 2 | 2 | -34.0 | 13.4 | 35.1
|
| Kent | 3 | 13 | 16 | -30.7 | 1.8 | 25.3
|
| Gloucestershire | 4 | 34 | 25 | -29.4 | -4.7 | 23.7
|
| Surrey | 5 | 17 | 37 | -28.9 | -0.4 | 20.5
|
| Devon and Cornwall | 6 | 18 | 36 | -26.1 | -0.9 | 21.5
|
| South Wales | 7 | 35 | 33 | -25.9 | -4.8 | 21.9
|
| Dyfed-Powys | 8 | 6 | 21 | -25.3 | 6.3 | 24.3
|
| Cheshire | 9 | 4 | 3 | -24.9 | 8.9 | 33.1
|
| Bedfordshire | 10 | 40 | 11 | -23.8 | -9.5 | 28.1
|
| Avon and Somerset | 11 | 20 | 20 | -22.7 | -1.1 | 24.6
|
| Essex | 12 | 24 | 28 | -21.7 | -1.6 | 23.2
|
| Nottinghamshire | 13 | 32 | 14 | -21.7 | -4.4 | 26.4
|
| South Yorkshire | 14 | 8 | 8 | -21.4 | 4.8 | 29.9
|
| Lincolnshire | 15 | 37 | 31 | -21.3 | -5.4 | 22.7
|
| North Wales | 16 | 10 | 15 | -21.0 | 2.9 | 25.5
|
| Warwickshire | 17 | 43 | 43 | -20.6 | -13.2 | 12.6
|
| Hampshire | 18 | 7 | 7 | -20.3 | 6.2 | 30.1
|
| Lancashire | 19 | 12 | 19 | -19.5 | 2.4 | 24.9
|
| Cleveland | 20 | 19 | 22 | -19.5 | -0.9 | 24.1
|
| Suffolk | 21 | 23 | 40 | -19.2 | -1.5 | 18.6
|
| Wiltshire | 22 | 39 | 30 | -18.9 | -8.9 | 22.9
|
| Norfolk | 23 | 33 | 9 | -17.6 | -4.5 | 28.5
|
| West Yorkshire | 24 | 21 | 24 | -17.5 | -1.3 | 23.7
|
| Derbyshire | 25 | 29 | 12 | -17.5 | -3.4 | 27.8
|
| Thames Valley | 26 | 31 | 29 | -17.5 | -4.1 | 23.1
|
| North Yorkshire | 27 | 14 | 38 | -17.4 | 1.4 | 19.2
|
| Cumbria | 28 | 30 | 34 | -17.2 | -4.1 | 21.9
|
| Leicestershire | 29 | 3 | 6 | -16.6 | 9.2 | 31.3
|
| Hertfordshire | 30 | 11 | 5 | -16.2 | 2.5 | 32.2
|
| Dorset | 31 | 22 | 23 | -16.0 | -1.4 | 23.8
|
| West Midlands | 32 | 9 | 18 | -15.3 | 4.4 | 25.0
|
| West Mercia | 33 | 25 | 27 | -15.0 | -1.7 | 23.5
|
| Humberside | 34 | 28 | 26 | -14.6 | -3.2 | 23.7
|
| Metropolitan Police District | 35 | 38 | 42 | -14.3 | -5.9 | 14.5
|
| Staffordshire | 36 | 15 | 13 | -13.6 | 1.3 | 26.5
|
| Merseyside | 37 | 41 | 41 | -7.2 | -10.3 | 18.1
|
| Cambridgeshire | 38 | 16 | 17 | -6.5 | 0.9 | 25.0
|
| Greater Manchester | 39 | 26 | 32 | -5.4 | -2.3 | 22.0
|
| Northamptonshire | 40 | 27 | 35 | -4.8 | -2.8 | 21.8
|
| Sussex | 41 | 36 | 4 | 2.9 | -5.4 | 32.8
|
| City of London | 42 | 42 | 39 | 12.0 | -12.9 | 19.1
|
| Gwent | 43 | 1 | 1 | 19.6 | 25.6 | 59.4
|
| | | | | | |
|
| England and Wales | -- | -- | -- | -17.6 | -1.6 | 22.3
|
(11) 1 = biggest
Notes:
1. Budgets:
1992-93 CIPFA Police Statistics Actuals
1998-99 CIPFA Police Statistics Estimates (estimates of net expenditure)
Budgets are in cash terms, not real terms
2. Police numbers:
Do not include secondments
3. Crimes:
Based on old counting rules for both years
Relate to numbers of crimes recorded, not per capita rates
Gwent is an outlier because of boundary changes with South Wales
13 Jul 2000 : Column: 671W
13 Jul 2000 : Column: 671W
