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Police Probationers

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police officers in (a) each basic command unit (b) each police force and (c) England are probationers; and what restrictions apply to their activities. [57448]

Mr. Denham: Information on the number of probationer constables is collected annually by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. The latest available is for 31 March 2001. The information is only collected at force level not for Basic Command Units. The table sets out the number of probationers and the proportion of strength for each force.

After attestation, within the first week of joining, a probationer constable has the same routine powers as any other police officer. However, a probationer constable would not be required to go on unsupervised patrol until certified fit for such a duty. This certification occurs as part of the formal training process after about 28 weeks of training.

Probationers in England as at 31 March 2001

Force	Probationers	per cent Probationers of strength at 31 March 2001
Avon and Somerset	134.0	4.5
Bedfordshire	108.0	10.4
Cambridgeshire	143.0	11.0
Cheshire	117.0	5.8
City of London	29.0	4.1
Cleveland	123.0	8.6
Cumbria	47.0	4.5
Derbyshire	171.0	9.4
Devon and Cornwall	231.0	7.9
Dorset	137.0	10.1
Durham	120.0	7.5
Essex	242.0	8.4
Gloucestershire	140.0	12.0
Greater Manchester	224.0	3.2
Hampshire	290.0	8.4
Hertfordshire	229.0	11.9
Humberside	139.0	7.3
Kent	119.0	3.6
Lancashire	257.0	7.9
Leicestershire	187.0	9.2
Lincolnshire	139.0	11.6
Merseyside	206.0	5.0
Metropolitan Police	1,966.0	7.9
Norfolk	115.0	8.1
Northamptonshire	91.0	7.9
Northumbria	303.0	7.9
North Yorkshire	73.0	5.6
Nottinghamshire	170.0	7.5
South Yorkshire	165.0	5.2
Staffordshire	80.0	3.8
Suffolk	72.0	6.4
Surrey	399.0	19.3
Sussex	224.0	7.8
Thames Valley	397.0	10.7
Warwickshire	85.0	9.2
West Mercia	78.0	4.0
West Midlands	766.0	10.3
West Yorkshire	262.0	5.4
Wiltshire	80.0	7.1
England	8,858.0	7.6

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Retail Crime

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many cases of violent assault there were against (a) rail workers, (b) benefits agency staff and (c) retail staff in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [54624]

(2) how many incidents of (a) shop lifting, (b) armed robbery and (c) assault there have been in high streets shops in the past 12 months; [54563] (3) how many instances of violence to retail staff there were in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [54568] (4) what percentage of violent crime was against shop staff in the last year for which figures are available; [54571] (5) how many instances of retail crime there were in each of the metropolitan boroughs in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [54567] (6) how many incidents of recorded crime in the last three years have been classed as retail crime, broken down by police force. [54565]

Mr. Denham: Recorded crime statistics do not normally identify the location of offences, or the occupation of victims. The one recorded crime which can be identified as retail crime is theft from a shop, and figures for each police force area for the last three years are given in the table.

Figures on the location of firearms robberies including offences where air weapons, imitation weapons and unidentified firearms were used indicate that there were 1,323 robberies in shops in the 2000–01 financial year. Including offences where air weapons, Imitation Weapons and Unidentified fire arms where used.

The Home Office, together with the Department of Trade and Industry and Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, will shortly be undertaking a major cross-Government survey of crime that affects retail and manufacturing premises across England and Wales. This study is receiving matching funds from the Treasury Evidence Based Policy Fund and will be the first Home Office survey of crime against manufacturers and retailers in England and Wales since 1994. More than

24 May 2002 : Column 700W

3,000 premises will be surveyed in each of these sectors. The survey will collect detailed information on the circumstances of crime against business, levels of concern about crime, the overall social and economic impact of crime on businesses and levels of satisfaction with police response and advice on crime.

Recorded crime: between 1998–99 to 2000–01 in England and Wales. Theft from shops—number of offences

Police Force Area	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Avon and Somerset	7632	7958	8741
Bedfordshire	2934	3007	3105
Cambridgeshire	3372	3630	3743
Cheshire	4957	4883	4906
Cleveland	5913	6365	6228
Cumbria	2702	2584	2339
Derbyshire	3473	4316	4537
Devon and Cornwall	7007	6346	6414
Dorset	2995	3088	3011
Durham	2351	2944	3042
Essex (1)	6818	7116	6788
Gloucestershire	3285	3471	3697
Greater Manchester	16016	16308	16196
Hampshire	9874	10234	9674
Hertfordshire (1)	3054	3328	4060
Humberside	7638	7188	7487
Kent	8010	8059	8191
Lancashire	6922	6680	7123
Leicestershire	4381	4398	4184
Lincolnshire	2644	2709	2948
London, City of	580	619	650
Merseyside	8806	8777	9584
Metropolitan Police (1)	47074	48015	41713
Norfolk	3653	3480	3801
Northamptonshire	3637	3348	3107
Northumbria	9691	9719	10757
North Yorkshire	3597	4053	3949
Nottinghamshire	7857	8533	9226
South Yorkshire	7090	7202	7525
Staffordshire	5154	5981	6287
Suffolk	3092	3118	3404
Surrey (1)	2724	2957	3602
Sussex	7975	8115	7788
Thames Valley	8589	9628	10796
Warwickshire	2045	1976	2100
West Mercia	4818	5732	5792
West Midlands	15824	17891	18877
West Yorkshire	11806	11864	11317
Wiltshire	2718	2623	2509
Dyfed-Powys	1473	1656	1503
Gwent	3152	3213	2909
North Wales	2606	2708	2890
South Wales	6033	6674	6580
Totals:	281972	292494	293080

(1) There was a boundary change on 1 April 2000 in which some parts of the Metropolitan police area were transferred to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey, so that the police force areas followed county boundaries thereafter. The figures for these forces before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.

Review Committee (Anti-Terrorism Legislation)

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the terms of reference are for the Review Committee of Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001; to whom it reports; what its annual budget and proposed staff are in its first year; what its sphere of competence is; what immunities its members enjoy; and what powers the body has (a) to compel witnesses, (b) to seize documents, (c) to demand disclosure, (d) to initiate its own inquiries, (e) to publish

24 May 2002 : Column 701W

its reports and address the media by other means, (f) to create its own sub-committees and (g) to consider complaints by individuals and groups.[54542]

Mr. Blunkett Section 122 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 sets out the Parliamentary requirement for a Committee to undertake a review of the Act. The Committee will report to me when they have completed their work. The Act requires them to deliver this by 14 December 2003.

There are no powers for the Committee to compel individuals or organisations to provide information. But the Government would expect and encourage those individuals and organisations who are approached to co-operate fully with any request made to them by the Committee. All questions of procedure and staffing are

24 May 2002 : Column 702W

for the Committee themselves to decide. While no specific budget has been set, the necessary funds will be made available to the Committee to enable them to do their work.

Reparation and Action Plan Orders

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) reparation orders and (b) action plan orders have been made to date in each police force area in England and Wales; how many have been (i) discharged and (ii) breached; and if he will make a statement. [55856]

Mr. Denham: The information available, for 1998 to 2000, is contained in the table.

Statistics for 2001 will be published in the autumn.

Offenders given a reparation or action plan order and those breaching an order, by police force area, 1998 to 2000England and Wales

	Reparation orders							Action plan orders
Police Force	Pilot areas 30 Sep 1998–30 June 2000(30)			All areas 1 June 2000–31 Dec 2000(30)			Pilot areas 30 Sep 1998—30 June 2000(30)			All areas 1 June 2000–31 Dec 2000 (30)
	Made	Breached (31),(32)	Dis- charged	Made	Breached (32)	Dis- charged	Made	Breached (31),(32)	Dis- charged	Made	Breached (32)	Dis- charged
Avon and Somerset	*	*	*	15	—	..	*	*	*	87	—	..
Bedfordshire	*	*	*	16	—	..	*	*	*	32	—	..
Cambridgeshire	*	*	*	45	—	..	*	*	*	60	1	..
Cheshire	*	*	*	16	—	..	*	*	*	20	2	..
Cleveland	*	*	*	18	—	..	*	*	*	55	—	..
Cumbria	*	*	*	6	—	..	*	*	*	36	2	..
Derbyshire	*	*	*	41	2	..	*	*	*	53	4	..
Devon and Comwall	*	*	*	55	—	..	*	*	*	1	—	..
Dorset	*	*	*	36	—	..	*	*	*	13	—	..
Durham	*	*	*	38	—	..	*	*	*	87	1	..
Essex	*	*	*	93	—	..	*	*	*	92	2	..
Gloucestershire	*	*	*	44	—	..	*	*	*	13	—	..
Greater Manchester	*	*	*	337	3	..	*	*	*	367	7	..
Hampshire	822	25	1	298	—	..	550	34	8	233	4	..
Hertfordshire	*	*	*	60	—	..	*	*	*	82	—	..
Humberside	*	*	*	40	1	..	*	*	*	39	1	..
Kent	*	*	*	77	—	..	*	*	*	55	1	..
Lancashire(33)	38	1	—	168	3	..	*	*	*	220	2	..
Leicestershire	*	*	*	54		..	*	*	*	82	2	..
Lincolnshire	*	*	*	51	—	..	*	*	*	42	—	..
London, City of	*	*	*	—	—	..	*	*	*	—	—	..
Merseyside	*	*	*	63	—	..	*	*	*	124	—	..
Metropolitan Police	83	8	4	302	8	..	144	25	14	585	24	..
Norfolk	*	*	*	7	—	..	*	*	*	30	1	..
Northamptonshire	*	*	*	—	—	..	*	*	*	3	—	..
Northumbria	*	*	*	70	—	..	*	*	*	108	—	..
North Yorkshire	*	*	*	50	—	..	*	*	*	36	2	..
Nottinghamshire	*	*	*	226	7	..	*	*	*	206	23	..
South Yorkshire	296	20	—	167	4	..	110	—	—	99	10	..
Staffordshire(32)	*	*	*	..	..	..	*	*	*	..	..	..
Suffolk	*	*	*	9	—	..	*	*	*	15	—	..
Surrey	*	*	*	110	—	..	*	*	*	52	—	..
Sussex	*	*	*	66	—	..	*	*	*	59	—	..
Thames Valley	*	*	*	92	3	..	*	*	*	162	5	..
Warwickshire	*	*	*	36	—	..	*	*	*	40	2	..
West Mercia	*	*	*	35	—	..	*	*	*	96	—	..
West Midlands	192	3	—	376	4	..	171	9	—	387	9	..
West Yorkshire	*	*	*	211	2	..	*	*	*	158	4	..
Wiltshire	*	*	*	31	—	..	*	*	*	14	—	..
Dyfed-Powys	*	*	*	—	—	..	*	*	*	2	—	..
Gwent	*	*	*	56	—	..	*	*	*	18	—	..
North Wales	*	*	*	52	—	..	*	*	*	66	—	..
South Wales	*	*	*	107	—	..	*	*	*	92	—	..
Total England and Wales	1,431	57	5	3,574	37	..	975	68	22	4,021	109	..

* not applicable.. not available

⁽³⁰⁾ Persons given reparation orders or action plan orders in June 2000 are included in the pilot area figures as well as the national figures.

⁽³¹⁾ Details of breaches or discharges not available for the period April to June 2000.

⁽³²⁾ A person is counted once for each separate court appearance on which he/she is found guilty of a breach.

⁽³³⁾ Lancashire pilot area data not available for the period April to June 2000.

24 May 2002 : Column 703W

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