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Police (Greater Manchester)
Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were on operational duties in Greater Manchester in each year since 1990. [152888]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 9 March 2001]: It is not possible to provide data on operational numbers before 1996-97. The information on operational numbers is collected annually by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.
| Year(22) | Operational police numbers(23) | Total police strength(23) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 5,553 (80%) | 6,922 |
| 1997-98 | 5,720 (82%) | 6,949 |
| 1998-99 | 5,673 (83%) | 6,810 |
| 1999-2000 | 6,115 (90%) | 6,795 |
(22) As at 31 March
(23) All figures are full-time equivalents
Closed Circuit Television
Mr. Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, by constituency, the closed circuit TV schemes that have been (a) funded and (b) part-funded by the Government in each of the last three years, and the cost of each. [153141]
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Mr. Charles Clarke: Details of closed circuit television (CCTV) schemes funded wholly or in part by the Home Office during each of the last three years are listed by parliamentary constituency. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The schemes listed include those approved to date under the Crime Reduction Programme CCTV Initiative and those funded in 1998 under Round 4 of the earlier CCTV Challenge Competition.
During the last three years, 283 CCTV schemes totalling more than £65 million have been awarded Home Office funding, of which 106 schemes were wholly funded by the Home Office, and 277 schemes were part-funded with nearly £19 million committed from other sources.
Mr. Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the funding available for closed circuit TV schemes in (a) Wansbeck and (b) the UK. [153148]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Under the second round of the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television Initiative (CCTV), more than 800 initial funding applications totalling over £200 million were submitted by crime and disorder reduction partnerships, including two applications from partnerships within the Wansbeck constituency.
All the applications are currently under assessment and we expect to advise partnerships of the outcome very shortly.
Although this is the final round of funding under the CCTV Initiative, there will be further opportunities for CCTV funding under future Government anti-crime programmes.
Departmental Policies (Don Valley)
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Don Valley constituency, the effects on Doncaster of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [153522]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office is working to build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are properly balanced, and the protection and security of the public are maintained. Detailed information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in Home Office annual reports. A copy of the most recent report, Home Office Annual Report 1999-2000, is available in the Library. The next report will be published shortly. Information on recorded crime and policing is also published. 'Recorded Crime England and Wales, 12 months to September 2000' and 'Police Service Strength England and Wales, 30 September 2000' can be found in the Library. The recorded crime statistics include information on recorded crime by Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder Partnerships.
The impact of Home Office policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency and the statistics which the Department collects, such as recorded crime,
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cannot be matched in the way requested although set out are examples relating to the Don Valley constituency or the immediate locality:
A project in conjunction with forces in Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, south Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and west Midlands to tackle distraction burglary has been awarded £168,000.
Approximately £32,000 was awarded to a project in Edlington, Doncaster under round two of the Reducing Burglary Initiative. South Yorkshire Police in partnership with Doncaster Crime and Disorder Partnership are working on interventions that include: appointment of a project co-ordinator, target hardening, high profile media campaign, neighbourhood watch and property marking scheme.
Around £399,000 has been awarded under round three of the initiative to allow south Yorkshire police in partnership with the Doncaster Crime and Disorder Partnership to concentrate on Doncaster's burglary "hotspots". Interventions include: supervision of prolific offenders, Neighbourhood Watch development, improved home security for victims and media and marketing campaigns.
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)
Under round one of the CCTV Initiative the Safer Sheffield Steering Group submitted two bids covering Sheffield's town centre and the Don Valley area, with a combined value of over £2 million. The two Sheffield Wide Imaging Switching Scheme (SWISS) bids are being considered together. So far £725,000 has been awarded for the system to be piloted in the town centre. When this trial has been evaluated a decision on the remaining funding will be taken.
More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Don Valley to a greater or lesser extent. For example: 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships have been established; racial harassment and racially motivated crimes have been made criminal offences by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; the asylum backlog has been cut from 103,495 at the end of January 2000 to 66,195 by the end of December 2000; and good progress is being made in reducing the incidence of fire deaths in England and Wales. They have dropped from 605 in 1997 to 534 in 1999.
Information on the Home Office and its policies is also published on its website www.homeoffice.gov.uk.
Departmental Policies (Jarrow)
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information, relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effects on Jarrow of his Department's actions since 2 May 1997. [153562]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office is working to build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are properly balanced, and the protection and security of the public are maintained. Detailed information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in Home Office annual reports. A copy of the most recent report, Home
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Office Annual Report 1999-2000, is available in the Library. The next report will be published shortly. Information on recorded crime and policing is also published. 'Recorded Crime England and Wales, 12 months to September 2000' and 'Police Service Strength England and Wales, 30 September 2000' can be found in the Library. The recorded crime statistics include information on recorded crime by Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder Partnerships.
The impact of Home Office policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency and the statistics which the Department collects, such as recorded crime, cannot be matched in the way requested although set out below are examples relating to the Jarrow constituency or the immediate locality:
Under round one of the Targeted Policing Initiative, £40,000 has been awarded to develop an integrated strategy to tackle crime and disorder in rural towns and villages. Northumbria police in partnership with Tynedale District Council, local parish councils and the Northumberland Social Services and probation service will tackle both localised offending and crime resulting from travelling criminals. A local multi-agency safety group will develop intelligence about offenders and identify "hotspots". The project will employ a range of interventions including a mobile police station and use of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV).
Jarrow comes under South Tyneside YOT which is involved in a number of schemes including establishing restorative approaches, working with victims of crime and holding successful restorative conferences. 35 per cent. of reparation orders/requirements have included an element of direct reparation to victims. There is a very successful project in Biddick Hall where 22 young people involved in serious youth disorder did reparation in the same area repairing damage to a primary school, cleaning off graffiti etc. It has been very well received by local community/ residents (and by parents of young people). It is too early to say definitively what the effects of these actions are on re-offending and reducing levels of youth crime. In response to some concern about youth disorder, there has recently been a seminar funded and facilitated by Government Office North-East, and the YOT will be taking appropriate action within the context of a proposed youth disorder strategy.
More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Jarrow to a greater or lesser extent. For example: 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships have been established; racial harassment and racially motivated crimes have been made criminal offences by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; the asylum backlog has been cut from 103,495 at the end of January 2000 to 66,195 by the end of December 2000; and good progress is being made in reducing the incidence of fire deaths in England and Wales. They have dropped from 605 in 1997 to 534 in 1999.
Information on the Home Office and its policies is also published on its website www.homeoffice.gov.uk.
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