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HOME DEPARTMENT
Chief Inspector of Prisons
15. Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the chief inspector of prisons. [627]
Beverley Hughes: I have accepted an invitation from Sir David and will meet him and his team in the near future.
I have also arranged to see Anne Owers, Sir David's successor, early in August, when she takes up her appointment.
Police Recruitment (Hertfordshire)
16. Ms Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase recruitment in the Hertfordshire constabulary. [628]
Mr. Denham: Under the Crime Fighting Fund (CFF) recruitment initiative, Hertfordshire constabulary has been allocated a total of 107 additional officers, over and above the force's previous recruitment plans for the three years to March 2003.
I know that the force has been experiencing difficulty in attracting recruits and was not able to recruit any of its CFF allocation in 2000–01. In recognition of these difficulties, the force has been allowed to defer its allocation from 2000–01 into 2001–02. The force will now be able to recruit up to 70 officers through the CFF in 2001–02.
On 12 March my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary announced that he had agreed to the Police Negotiating Board's recommendation for new allowances for certain officers serving in a number of forces in the south-east. The affected officers are those appointed since 1 September 1994 and not in receipt of Housing Allowance. For such officers in Hertfordshire the new allowance is £2,000 per annum. It has been payable since 1 April 2001.
All police forces, including Hertfordshire, also benefit from the national recruitment advertising campaign, which was launched in August 2000.
Police Numbers
17. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of police officers is per 10,000 population in (a) England and (b) Devon and Cornwall. [629]
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Mr. Bob Ainsworth: In 2000–01 there were 23.4 police officers per 10,000 population in England, and 18.7 officers per 10,000 population in Devon and Cornwall.
32. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police numbers. [646]
Mr. Denham: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced the most recent police numbers on 28 June. On 31 March 2001, police numbers in England and Wales were 125,519. This is an increase of 1,349 over 31 March last year. It is a clear indication that the Crime Fighting Fund which is intended to deliver an additional 9,000 recruits over three years is taking effect .
We expect that within the lifetime of this Parliament police strength will reach 130,000 officers.
34. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report on police numbers in North Yorkshire. [649]
Mr. Denham: The Home Secretary announced the most recent police numbers on 28 June. At 31 March 2001, police numbers in North Yorkshire were 1,305. This is an increase of 22 over March 2000.
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers and civilian staff were employed in each year since 1996 in Harrow. [1111]
Mr. Denham: The information requested has been provided by the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and is set out in the table.
I am told by the Commissioner that he has increased the Budgeted Workforce Total for police officers in Harrow from 295 officers in 2000–01 to 311 for the current financial year.
| Year(10) | Police officers(11) | Civilian staff (11) |
|---|---|---|
| December 1996 | 283 | 76 |
| December 1997 | 289 | 71 |
| December 1998 | 281 | 68 |
| December 1999 | 291 | 69 |
| December 2000 | 292 | 68 |
| May 2001 | 307 | 72 |
(10) Information for 1996 to 2000 is available only by calendar year
(11) Figures are for full-time equivalent staff
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the number of police (a) sergeants and (b) inspectors in England and Wales. [1250]
Mr. Denham: The powers of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to decide on the number of police officers in each rank for each force were removed under the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994. It is for Chief Officers of Police to determine staffing levels for sergeants, inspectors and other ranks within the overall resources available.
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Youth Crime
18. Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for dealing with youth crime and disorder. [631]
Mr. Keith Bradley: We have a wide agenda across Government concerned with tackling youth crime and disorder. We have introduced programmes which focus on the family; tackle deprivation; address truancy and school exclusion; deal with alcohol-related crime and disorder and under-age drinking; and address drug misuse among young people.
We have also made improvements to the youth justice system. Tackling delays to speed up justice; expanding the powers available to the police and the courts, establishing new youth justice structures and intervention programmes. And we are continuing to bring in new measures and programmes to tackle youth offending.
22. Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the levels of juvenile crime. [635]
Beverley Hughes: The Government have put in place a major programme of reforms to tackle youth offending. We have overhauled youth justice and introduced a wide range of prevention policies to stop young people becoming involved in crime.
Double Jeopardy
19. David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation to abolish the double jeopardy rule. [632]
Mr. Keith Bradley: The Government's manifesto included a commitment to reform the double jeopardy rule in cases involving murder, and the Government will do so when parliamentary time allows.
Prisons (Rehabilitation)
20. Dr. Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to improve the record of prisons as institutions of effective rehabilitation. [633]
Beverley Hughes: The Government are committed to ensuring the effective execution of the sentences of the courts so as to reduce reoffending and protect the public. The Prison Service, in conjunction with other criminal justice agencies, has a target of reducing the rate of reconvictions of all offenders punished by imprisonment or by community supervision by 5 per cent. by April 2004 compared to the predicted rate. The Service is investing an additional £31 million in the period 2001–02, £30 million in 2002–03 and £71 million in 2003–04, from the Spending Review 2000 on work on basic skills, drugs, offending behaviour programmes and resettlement to help achieve this objective.
Crime Prevention Partnerships
21. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of crime prevention partnerships. [634]
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Mr. Denham: The local crime and disorder reduction partnerships, established by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, ensure that the resources and commitment of local authorities and a wide range of other local organisations are harnessed to support the police in the fight against crime. This joint effort has helped secure the 10 per cent. reduction in crime measured by the British Crime Survey 2000.
27. Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support is being given to crime and disorder partnerships to tackle drug-related crime. [640]
Mr. Denham: Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships are being provided with additional investment and guidance to disrupt local drugs markets, and tackle drug-related crime.
Partnerships have been allocated a total of £50 million this year to tackle drugs problems, under the Communities Against Drugs initiative, and this will rise to £70 million in 2002–03 and £100 million in 2003–04. The Communities Against Drugs toolkit is available on the Crime Reduction website (www.crimereduction.gov.uk) and further written guidance is under preparation. Advice to partnerships is being provided by the Crime Reduction Directors and by the Drugs Prevention Advisory Service (DPAS) in the regions in England, and in Wales by the Crime Reduction Director and the Substance Misuse Intervention Branch.
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