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Prisoners (Location)
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are held in Prison Service establishments more than (a) 25, (b) 50, (c) 100 and (d) 150 miles from their committal court town. [144953]
Mr. Boateng: The following information is based on the distance that prisoners are held from their committal court town. The data was collected on 6 October 2000 and is set out in the table in the nearest format to that requested. There are about 24,000 prisoners held under 25 miles from their committal court town.
| Distance from home area (miles) | Number of prisoners(24) |
|---|---|
| Between 25 and 50 | 15,000 |
| Between 50 and 100 | 15,000 |
| Between 100 and 150 | 6,000 |
| Over 150 | 5,000 |
| Total over 25 | 41,000 |
(24) Rounded to nearest thousand
Dr. Daniel Wani
Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Dr Daniel Wani, a constituent, will receive his travel documents. [145104]
Mrs. Roche: We understand from Dr. Wani's letter to you of 14 November that he sent in his travel document on 18 October. I very much regret that we have been unable to trace any evidence of receiving it. If Dr. Wani can provide recorded delivery details a further search will be made to trace the documents and action taken to amend it and return it to him speedily.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what cultural activities will take place to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. [145411]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: A national ceremony, being televised, will be held in London on the evening of Saturday 27 January and will be attended by a wide
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audience including senior public figures, community representatives, students and importantly survivors of the 1939-45 holocaust.
There is a wide range of activities being planned by local authorities and community groups around the country. They have been encouraged to put details of their activities on the dedicated website www.holocaustmemorialday.gov.uk.
We also anticipate that schools will use the new Holocaust education resource pack in the week leading up to Holocaust Memorial Day to mark the day in appropriate ways. We are receiving very positive feedback on its suitability and usefulness for this purpose.
Northumbria Police
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) uniformed and (b) non- uniformed staff of Northumbria police there were in each year since 1996-97 and proposed for 2001-02. [145251]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Available information does not distinguish between uniformed and non-uniformed police officers as officers may be moved without notice between uniformed and non-uniformed duties.
It is for the Chief Constable to determine the number of police officers and civilian support staff in the light of the budget set by the police authority for 2001-02. Current Crime Fighting Fund distribution for 2001-02 allocates 87 extra police recruits to Northumbria police, over and above what the force plan to recruit.
The table sets out the number of police officers and civilian support staff for the Northumbria police for each year since March 1996.
| Year | Number of police officers | Number of civilian support staff |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3,668 | 1,319 |
| 1997 | 3,677 | 1,365 |
| 1998 | 3,769 | 1,362 |
| 1999 | 3,840 | 1,443 |
| 2000 | 3,788 | 1,417 |
| 2000(25) | 3,885 | 1,413 |
(25) to 30 September
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of crime in each main category there were expressed (a) as a total and (b) as a total per 1000 population in the Northumbria Police area for each six month period from April to October 1996 to April to October 2000. [145252]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The number of recorded crimes, and the number of crimes per 100,000 population, are given in the tables. The six-month periods addressed in the tables are from April to September 1996, to October 1999 to March 2000, as figures for April to September 2000 are not yet available.
There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime which came into effect on 1 April 1998, which means that figures before and after that date cannot be directly compared. Nationally, the change particularly impacted on the categories of violence against the person, fraud and forgery, drug offences (where a new category was introduced), and other offences.
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| Offence group | Apr 1996 to Sept 1996 | Oct 1996 to Mar 1997 | Apr 1997 to Sept 1997 | Oct 1997 to Mar 1998 | Apr 1998 to Sept 1998 | Oct 1998 to Mar 1999 | Apr 1999 to Sept 1999 | Oct 1999 to Mar 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence against the person | 2,785 | 2,364 | 2,328 | 2,375 | 6,361 | 6,116 | 6,677 | 6,886 |
| Sexual offences | 345 | 250 | 300 | 314 | 532 | 411 | 499 | 484 |
| Robbery | 670 | 654 | 618 | 649 | 661 | 686 | 667 | 722 |
| Burglary | 20,198 | 19,585 | 16,827 | 16,501 | 16,325 | 15,300 | 13,326 | 13,133 |
| Theft and handling stolen goods | 34,179 | 31,477 | 30,630 | 28,322 | 31,952 | 30,362 | 29,459 | 28,716 |
| Fraud and forgery | 1,037 | 980 | 1,173 | 1,142 | 2,302 | 2,689 | 2,362 | 2,660 |
| Criminal damage | 23,180 | 22,213 | 16,488 | 15,630 | 15,328 | 16,306 | 14,541 | 15,895 |
| Drugs offences | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1,830 | 2,104 | 2,205 | 2,004 |
| Other offences | 586 | 597 | 551 | 609 | 1,043 | 990 | 1,035 | 1,008 |
| Total | 82,980 | 78,120 | 68,915 | 65,542 | 76,334 | 74,964 | 70,771 | 71,508 |
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| Offence group | Apr 1996 to Sept 1996 | Oct 1996 to Mar 1997 | Apr 1997 to Sept 1997 | Oct 1997 to Mar 1998 | Apr 1998 to Sept 1998 | Oct 1998 to Mar 1999 | Apr 1999 to Sept 1999 | Oct 1999 to Mar 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence against the person | 194 | 164 | 162 | 166 | 445 | 428 | 468 | 483 |
| Sexual offences | 24 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 37 | 29 | 35 | 34 |
| Robbery | 47 | 45 | 43 | 45 | 46 | 48 | 47 | 51 |
| Burglary | 1,404 | 1,362 | 1,173 | 1,150 | 1,141 | 1,070 | 935 | 921 |
| Theft and handling stolen goods | 2,376 | 2,188 | 2,135 | 1,974 | 2,234 | 2,123 | 2,067 | 2,014 |
| Fraud and forgery | 72 | 68 | 82 | 80 | 161 | 188 | 166 | 187 |
| Criminal damage | 1,612 | 1,544 | 1,149 | 1,089 | 1,072 | 1,140 | 1,020 | 1,115 |
| Drugs offences | -- | -- | -- | -- | 128 | 147 | 155 | 141 |
| Other offences | 41 | 42 | 38 | 42 | 73 | 69 | 73 | 71 |
| Total | 5,769 | 5,431 | 4,804 | 4,568 | 5,337 | 5,242 | 4,965 | 5,016 |
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Credit Card Fraud
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to address the issue of credit card fraud, with particular reference to cloning and skimming. [144733]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The most prevalent type of counterfeit (cloning) involves copying genuine data from the magnetic stripe on one card, without the cardholder's knowledge, and putting it onto another card: a method known as skimming.
To combat this problem the banking industry took the decision in July 1998 to introduce onto United Kingdom plastic cards an embedded smart chip (also known as an integrated circuit card, ICC, or smart card). The information chip can store much more information than the magnetic stripe (which they will eventually replace) and can not be easily copied, amended or corrupted, so making counterfeiting prohibitively difficult and expensive for criminals to carry out. Although about 15 million chipped cards have been issued so far, only 150,000 retail terminals are kitted out to use the technology and so the remainder have to continue swiping the magnetic stripe. By 2003, however, the banking industry expects most transactions to be "smart".
It is most important that the roll of these new cards remains on schedule. This was one of a number of issues discussed at the seminar hosted by the Home Office in November for representatives from the banking industry, the retail community and law enforcement agencies, to report on progress since the first meeting held in June to examine the reasons for the increasing levels of card fraud. Further information on the projects discussed at that seminar is given in response to other Questions asked by my hon. Friend which I have answered today.
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While this work continues and before the full benefits of chip technology can be realised, the banking industry is continuing with a wide range of initiatives designed to combat fraud. These include:--
- Working closely with the police through a special intelligence unit based at Association of Payment Card Services (APACS), which has contributed to closing down a number of organised card counterfeiting rings.
- Use of "intelligent neural network" systems to spot fraud at an early stage.
- Introduction of hot card files carrying details of lost/stolen cards.
- Implementation of secure methods for delivering cards.
- Training material for retail staff to enable them to identify counterfeit cards.
- Rewards for retail staff who stop a card from being fraudulently used (£10 million was paid in rewards in 1999).
- Maintaining a close partnership between banks, retailers and the police.
- Guard your cards--never leave them unattended and try not to let them out of your sight while in a shop or restaurant.
- Make regular checks to ensure you still have your cards. Report any loss immediately so as a stop can be made on your card.
- Do not discard your receipts--keep them safely and check them off against your statement.
- Contact your card issuer immediately if you spot any transaction you don't recognise on your statement.
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office hosted a second seminar in November for representatives from the banking industry, the retail community and law
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enforcement agencies, to report on progress since the first meeting in June held to examine the reasons for the increasing levels of card fraud.
Though it was clear that much positive work is already being undertaken to tackle this area of fraud, presentations were made on those areas considered to be of strategic importance in tackling the problem of card fraud within the United Kingdom.
As one of a number of joint initiatives, the banking and retail communities are continuing to explore the introduction of chip cards, possibly with personal identification numbers (PINs) used at the merchant's point of sale across the United Kingdom. Cross-industry working groups are tackling the various technical, operational and business issues and are making good progress. The industry is expecting to make a final decision on chip cards and PINs in spring this year.
Two cross-industry groups, facilitated by the Home Office, were also set up after the first meeting in June to address specific issues relating to plastic card fraud. The first is considering the setting up of a dedicated law enforcement team, on an initial two-year pilot basis, to target, investigate and arrest offenders responsible for organised payment card and cheque fraud. The second group has identified the need for enhanced collection and analysis of intelligence at a 'central hub' where known fraud intelligence data from business and government agencies could be collated and interrogated by professional analysts. These groups hope to bring forward proposals in the spring.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what impact recent incidents of credit card fraud have had on e-commerce; and what steps his Department is taking to address the issue of credit card fraud. [144729]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Government take the problem of card fraud very seriously and we liaise very closely with the Association for Payment and Clearing Services (APACS) to establish and promote best practice in protecting cards and their use on the internet.
Most of the fraud experienced by e-retailers is of the same kind as that suffered by ordinary retailers who accept "card not present" transactions over the phone or by mail.
Although the Association of Payment Clearing Services does not specifically record the level of fraud associated with the use of payment cards over the internet (these losses would normally be recorded as part of the "card not present" category), they estimate losses for 1999 to be around £4 million, some 2 per cent. of the total reported losses for that year.
I chaired a second Home Office seminar at the end of November to seek views from the banks, retailers and others about how the increasing levels of credit card fraud could be addressed. One of the main issues is the introduction of chip cards (card authentication), which would significantly reduce the use of fraudulent cards, and the introduction of a cardholder verification system, probably using a PIN number to confirm that the user of the card is genuine. This is currently being discussed between the retailers and the banks and the outcome of those discussions is expected later in the year.
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