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Police Conduct
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes he is proposing to the procedure whereby officers can resign when they are subject to sentence for criminal offences. [25442]
Mr. Denham: Conviction for a criminal offence is a breach of the police code of conduct. Where there is reason to believe that a police officer has breached the code, the chief officer of the force concerned may suspend the officer where it is in the public interest to do so. An officer who is suspended may not resign unless the chief officer agrees. Current procedures therefore enable chief officers to ensure that, in appropriate cases, officers do not resign to avoid misconduct proceedings. It is for the chief officer to determine whether a officer should be suspended.
Where an officer is awaiting sentence for criminal offences and offers his resignation the resignation may be accepted because the maximum penalty a Chief Constable can impose is dismissal. That is a matter for the Chief Constable to decide.
In relation to officers seeking medical retirement, the Government set out its position in paragraph 6.46 of the White Paper "Policing a New Century: A Blueprint for Reform" (CM 5326). That paragraph said:
- Regulations now allow for disciplinary hearings to go ahead in the absence of the accused, although the power is not used very frequently. The Government believe that it is wholly unacceptable for sickness or medical retirement to be used as a means of avoiding discipline. This requires strong support from the centre—which we will provide—and firm management action in using the existing power to proceed with hearings in all but the most exceptional cases. We will amend the central guidance and, if necessary, the statutory regulations to achieve this. Where medical retirement is at issue, the police authority should consider whether it would be right to exercise its discretion not to retire the officer where the public interest in completing the proceedings in a misconduct case outweighs the medical condition.
Brixton Police
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Brixton police were accepting reports of minor crime over the telephone between 24 December 2001 and 11 January 2002. [25939]
Mr. Denham: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that Brixton police were accepting reports of minor crime over the telephone between
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24 December 2001 and 2 January 2002 and between 8 January 2002 and 11 January 2002. For operational reasons, Brixton police were unable to accept such reports between the dates of 2 January 2002 and 8 January 2002.
However, throughout this period the Borough Control Room, through which all allegations of crime are initially directed, was functioning as normal.
Illegal Raves
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to police regarding illegal raves involving trespass; and if he will make a statement. [25937]
Mr. Denham: Guidance was issued to police on illegal raves in November 1994 and was contained in Home Office Circular 45/94. This Circular contained an introductory guide to provisions in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers are available to police to take action against owners of generator vehicles used in illegal raves on private property involving trespass. [25938]
Mr. Denham: Powers available to police to deal with raves are found in sections 63–67 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
These powers allow a police superintendent to direct those attending a rave to leave and take with them any vehicles or other property. If a person fails to comply with this direction or returns to the site within seven days, a constable may seize and remove their vehicle.
Police Deployments
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics he collates on the number of (a) police officers on the beat and (b) police officers in administration jobs per 100,000 population in each police authority area. [24935]
Mr. Denham: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary annually collects information from each police force on the numbers of officers deployed to different areas of police activity. The latest data available are for the position on 31 March 2001.
The table sets out the number of officers deployed to foot/car/beat patrol and the number of officers in organisational support jobs (that is, members of staff whose primary role is to service the internal needs of the organisation) per 100,000 of population for each force in England and Wales.
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Unlicensed Vehicles
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he gives to police forces on the prosecution of individuals who do not have a current MOT certificate for their vehicles. [25136]
Mr. Denham: No specific guidance is given to the police. The requirement to have a current Ministry of Transport (MOT) certificate is backed up by some 320,000 roadside and other spot vehicle safety checks each year. The police work closely with the Vehicles Inspectorate in conducting these, and drivers or transport operators whose vehicles fail the most important standards are prosecuted as appropriate. In addition, the routine procedure of requiring drivers to produce their driving documents also identifies a large number of offences, including not having a valid MOT certificate. The police service is concerned for public safety in relation to this type of offence as many caught committing such an offence will be using unroadworthy and dangerous vehicles.
From January 2003, information from the computerised MOT database will begin to be available to the police via the Police National Computer. This will significantly improve the ability of the police to enforce the requirement for vehicles to be covered by a current MOT certificate.
Police (Sickness Absence)
Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the latest figures are for the number of
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sickness days lost in UK police forces; what the latest costs are for ill-health early retirements in each police force; and what the latest figures are for the number of police officers taking ill health early retirement. [25107]
Mr. Denham: Figures for police forces in England and Wales during 2000–01 are shown in the table. Figures for early ill-health retirements are not available as distinct from overall ill health retirements. Figures for the cost of ill-health early retirements in each police force are not available centrally.
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