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Police Statistics
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) uniformed full-time officers, (b) special constables and (c) civilian staff there are per thousand of population in each English constabulary. [8625]
Mr. Denham: Details of the numbers of special constables and civilian staff per 1,000 population are given in the table. Numbers of uniformed full-time officers are not collected centrally; number of full-time equivalent police officers per 100,000 population by police force area are given in table three in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/01, entitled "Police Service Strength England and Wales, 31 March 2001", published on 28 June 2001.
(12) Special constable figures are based on number of staff.
(13) Civilian figures are based on full time equivalents.
(14) Staff per 1,000 population figures for City of London and Metropolitan Police are combined.
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Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police numbers in South Yorkshire. [10385]
Mr. Denham: I understand from the Chief Constable that on 31 August the force had 3,203 police officers. This is six more officers than the force had in March 2001 and is a record number of officers. South Yorkshire Police has set a budgeted workforce total for 31 March 2002 of 3,200 officers. On 31 March 2001 the force had 1,312 civilian support staff, 21 more than in March 1997.
Sixty-seven recruits to South Yorkshire Police were funded by the Crime Fighting Fund (CFF) in 2000–01 and the force expects to recruit 61 CFF officers in 2001–02.
Crime Rates (Bromley)
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many notifiable offences there were in the London borough of Bromley in each of the last five years; [9993]
- (2) what the crime clear-up rate was in the London borough of Bromley in each of the last five years. [9994]
Mr. Denham: The requested details are given in the table. For the reason given, detection rates are not directly comparable over the years 1997–98 to 2000–01.
| Year ending March | Number of recorded crimes | Detection rates (Percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 22,176 | 23 |
| 1997–98 | 20,356 | 24 |
| 1998–99(15) | 24,172 | 20 |
| 1999–2000(16) | 26,474 | 14 |
| 2000–01 | 26,142 | 13 |
(15) There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which expanded the offences covered, and placed a greater emphasis on counting crimes in terms of numbers of victims. Numbers of recorded crimes and detection rates after this date are therefore not directly comparable with previous years.
(16) There was a change in the guidance for counting detections on 1 April 1999, with the new guidance providing more precise and rigorous criteria for counting a detection. Detection rates after this date are therefore not directly comparable with previous years.
Public Bodies
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those public bodies to which his Department appoints members and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000. [17594]
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Angela Eagle: Public Bodies 2000 sets out information on non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), certain public corporations (including nationalised industries) and NHS bodies. There are four types of NDPB: executive NDPBs; advisory NDPBs; tribunal NDPBs; and boards of visitors to penal establishments. The next edition will be published around the end of the year. Information about taskforces, and ad hoc advisory groups is set out in an annual report, published by the Cabinet Office. Copies of Public Bodies 2000 are in the Library and this publication may be accessed via the Cabinet Office's website http:// www.official-documents.co.uk/document/caboff/pb00/ pb00.htm. Copies of the annual report on taskforces and similar bodies have also been placed in the Library and the annual report is being made available on the Cabinet Office's website.
Home Office Ministers now appoint members to the following bodies, which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000:
- Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (NDPB)
Annual Reviewer of the Criminal Justice (Conspiracy and Terrorism) Act 1998
Annual Reviewer of the Terrorism Act 2000
Asylum Support Adjudicators
Charity Commission
Criminal Justice Consultative Council
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of the National Probation Service for England and Wales
Immigration Nationality Directorate Complaints Audit Committee
Independent Assessor of Compensation for Miscarriages of Justice
Metropolitan Police Authority
Ministerial Advisory Group to the Retail Crime Reduction Action Team
National Probation Service
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
Property Crime Reduction Action Team
Retail Crime Reduction Action Team
Selection Panels for Independent Members of the Police Authorities for 42 Provincial Forces
Service Authority for the National Criminal Intelligence Service
Service Authority for the National Crime Squad
Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team
Visitor Committees for Immigration Detention Centres:
Campsfield House
Dungavel
Harmondsworth
Oakington
Tinsley House
Yarl's Wood.
- Investigatory Powers Tribunal (NDPB)
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary
Intelligence Services Commissioner
Interception of Communications Commissioner
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Immigration
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he routinely takes to monitor immigration through south coast ports; and how that has increased since 11 September. [18393]
Angela Eagle: Passengers arriving at south coast ports are routinely examined by an immigration officer in order to establish their nationality and identity and whether they require leave to enter. The personal details of all such passengers are checked against the Immigration Service Warnings Index, a computer system, which provides information to immigration staff for the purpose of immigration control, national security and the prevention of crime. All Immigration Service staff at points of entry on the south coast have access to this system.
The Immigration Service also routinely conducts vehicle searches in order to detect people attempting to enter the United Kingdom clandestinely. Advanced scanning equipment including x-ray machines and carbon dioxide detectors have been introduced in order to assist in the detection of such people.
The Immigration Service is developing closer liaison with the French authorities and carriers in order to control the flow of passengers arriving in the United Kingdom without any identifying documentation. A United Kingdom liaison officer from the Immigration Service now operates alongside French colleagues in Paris and juxtaposed immigration controls were established at Waterloo and Paris this year, which enables passengers to be cleared before they pass through the channel tunnel. It has also had significant success in taking forward, in conjunction with the police, the prosecution of people suspected of having attempted to facilitate the illegal entry of inadequately documented foreign nationals.
Since 11 September all ports throughout the country have been put on a heightened state of alert. The Immigration Service has issued instructions to all operational officers advising them of the procedures to be followed, including closer liaison with the Security Services in the event of known or suspected terrorists being encountered.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure is to be adopted by those seeking to enter the UK via ports without immigration controls or personnel; and how that has changed since 11 September. [18395]
Angela Eagle: Immigration Officers routinely attend ports which are normally unstaffed, in order to examine passengers arriving on services originating from outside the European Economic Area. Other services are closely monitored and carriers are required to fax passenger manifests to a designated local immigration office. The personal details of the passengers are checked against the Immigration Service Warnings Index. The Warnings Index computer system is the primary tool for providing information to staff operating the immigration entry control; it also provides information on matters of national security and the prevention of crime. All Immigration Service staff at points of entry have access to this system. If the passenger is a national of a country from outside the European Economic Area, and the immigration officer is
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satisfied that he qualifies for entry under the Immigration Rules, he will grant him leave to enter, normally following a telephone interview.
In order to preserve the integrity of the control immigration officers also make regular unannounced visits to unstaffed ports in order to ensure that the correct procedures are being followed. The Immigration Service maintains close links with Customs and Excise and the police, sharing intelligence where appropriate in relation to arriving passengers.
All ports around the country have been put on a heightened state of alert since 11 September and the Immigration Service has issued instructions to all officers advising them of the procedures to be followed, including close liaison with the security services, in the event of known or suspected terrorists being encountered.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are engaged in monitoring immigration and immigration control through each south coast port; and how that has increased since 11 September. [18394]
Angela Eagle: Immigration staff are deployed on a permanent 24 hour basis at all designated points of entry on the south coast. As of 26 November, provisional figures indicate that 367 immigration officers and 106 assistant immigration officers are currently based at Dover, covering a range of functions including interviewing arriving passengers, searching freight vehicles and working at Coquelles, the point of entry for the Channel Tunnel in France. As of 26 November 2001, the staffing figures for the other south coast ports are given in the table.
| Port | Immigration Officers | Assistant Immigration Officers |
|---|---|---|
| Dover | 367 | 106 |
| Newhaven | 11 | — |
| Portsmouth | 38 | 6 |
| Southampton | 5 | — |
| Poole | 15 | 5 |
| Plymouth | 11 | 2 |
| Total | 447 | 119 |
I regret that the specific information requested on the increases in staffing levels since 11 September is not currently available. There is however an on-going national recruitment campaign for the Immigration Service. Between April 2000 and October 2001 staffing levels at Poole, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Southampton increased by 113 per cent., 47 per cent., 43 per cent. and 45 per cent. respectively. Additional resources will be targeted for the south-east region over the next 12 months.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are known to have entered the UK via ports without immigration personnel, (a) in the last 12 months and (b) since 11 September. [18396]
Angela Eagle: I regret that the information requested is not currently available.
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