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Crime Statistics

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidences of (a) theft from vehicles, (b) armed robbery, (c) criminal damage, (d) common assault, (e) vehicle theft and (f) vandalism have been reported in each police area in Wales in each year since 1997. [58028]

Mr. Denham: The number of recorded crimes in each of these categories is given in the table, copies of which have been placed in the Library. Vandalism is included in the figures for criminal damage.

There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998. Numbers of recorded crimes before and after this date may not be directly comparable.

It should be noted that recorded violent crime is subject to changes in reporting and recording. For example, the 2001 British Crime Survey found that, over England and Wales as a whole, reporting to the police of common assault rose from 29 per cent in 1999 to 39 per cent in the year 2000. Also, the British Crime Survey has shown that, in England and Wales as a whole, the number of common assaults recorded in the survey decreased by 14 per cent between the 1999 and 2000 calendar years, whereas common assaults recorded by the police increased by an estimated nine per cent. Common assaults recorded by the police may therefore not necessarily be a reflection of the real level of this offence.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the annual change in the major categories of criminal offences in (a) England, (b) each English Police Authority in each year since 1985–86; and if he will make a statement. [56222]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 21 May 2002]: Annual changes in the major categories of recorded crimes have been published in table 2.7 of successive editions of "Criminal Statistics England and Wales", which are available in the Library. This is with the exception of the year ending 1998–99, for which no estimate could be made owing to the change of counting rules for recorded crime which came into effect on 1 April 1998.

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World Cup

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations are being made to other European Governments to ensure hooligans from other countries are stopped from travelling to the World Cup. [57536]

Mr. Denham: There is close liaison with the governments and police of European countries competing in the World Cup. England will have around 8,000 supporters in Japan for the first phase of the tournament, but other European countries will have much lower levels of support. Hooligans are not expected to feature among their number. It is for each country to determine whether the behaviour of its supporters warrants the introduction of measures to prevent hooligans from travelling to such tournaments. To date, only Germany has felt it necessary or appropriate to introduce measures comparable to those in place in England and Wales, though a number of European governments are currently reviewing their football-related legislation.

Demonstrations (Policing)

Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 29 April 2002, Official Report, column 616W, if the guidance on policing of demonstrations issued to police forces by the Association of Chief Police Officers is in accordance with the report of the Metropolitan Police Directorate of Professional Standards arising out of last year's May Day demonstrations in London; and if he will make a statement. [57657]

Mr. Denham: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the Director of Professional Standards has not compiled a report arising out of last year's May Day demonstrations in London. Following consultation with the Police Complaints Authority, criteria were established by the Metropolitan Police to determine those complaints made against police tactics during the protests which were to be treated as a "direction and control issue", and considered by the Director of Professional Standards. In accordance with Section 67 (4) of the Police Act 1996 these are not recorded as complaints against police. Details of individual complaints are not published.

European Security

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy towards the Initiative of the Spanish Presidency on the setting up of a network of contact points of national authorities responsible for private security (2002/C42/09). [57865]

Mr. Ainsworth: There is currently some doubt as to whether this Initiative should properly be seen as a Third Pillar (Title VI TEU) measure or one designed to improve the operation of the European Single Market. The Spanish Presidency is at present redrafting the proposal to clarify these issues, and the Government will await sight of the new draft before forming an opinion.

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Criminal Activity (Deprivation)

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the connection between criminal activity and indicators of deprivation. [56229]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 21 May 2002]: Work by the Home Office suggests that while many deprived areas do also have high crime rates a significant number do not and some deprived areas have in fact very low crime rates. 66 of the 88 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund areas are also in the top 88 for combined crime rates but 22 (i.e. quarter) are not and of those 22, seven have combined crime rates that are significantly lower than the mean for England. The areas with high deprivation but low crime rates are typified by long-established communities on estates in rural or semi-urban areas.

Conversely some local authorities with significant crime problems are not in the 88 most deprived areas. These are typically city centres or local commercial areas.

Some preliminary analysis has also been carried out using the Multiple Deprivation Index and the British Crime Survey. This suggests that there is a correlation between criminal activity and deprivation. However, the correlation varies significantly between crimes. Neither area of research examines the extent, if any, of causal links between the criminal activity and indicators of deprivation.

Volunteering

Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to promote volunteering by older people. [58345]

Angela Eagle: The Home Office is funding the Experience Corps Company, £19.9 million over three years; to promote and encourage people aged 50 + to volunteer. The company can be contacted on 020 7620 0009.

Sikhs

Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the status of Sikhs within the Statutory Code of Practice on the Duty to Promote Race Equality. [57975]

Angela Eagle [holding answer 23 May 2002]: Sikhs have the same status as all other ethnic and racial groups within the draft Statutory Code of Practice on the Duty to Promote Race Equality currently before Parliament.

Some Sikh organisations have argued that Sikhs should be monitored as a separate ethnic group rather than subsumed in one of the generic monitoring categories used in the 2001 Census. The fact that case law has established Sikhs as an ethnic group for the purposes of the Race Relations Act does not, of itself, justify different treatment from the many other ethnic and racial groups in the United Kingdom.

The draft statutory Code of Practice encourages authorities to use the same ethnic classification system as used in the 2001 Census, or categories that match them very closely. However, the draft statutory Code also recognises that authorities may choose to collect more detailed information to reflect local circumstances. Public

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authorities with significant Sikh populations in their area may opt to do this. Helpfully, demographic information about British Sikhs will be available for the first time from the results of the religious identity question in the 2001 Census due to be published next February.

European Police College

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress made towards the establishment of the European Police College. [57907]

Mr. Denham: The European Police College has a work programme for 2002, which will deliver up to 6,000 days of training to senior police officers, with strong participation by the United Kingdom (UK). Priorities include non-military crisis management, anti-terrorism, trafficking in human beings and border control. The first phases of the European Police Knowledge Net have now been implemented. In the absence of a decision by the Council on a permanent seat of the Secretariat of CEPOL, the Governing Board has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Danish National Commissioner of Police to locate temporarily the Secretariat in Copenhagen on the understanding that Denmark is not applying for the permanent seat. The UK continues to press for an early decision, and is still promoting its bid for Bramshill to host the Secretariat on a permanent basis. The post of Administrative Director has been filled on a temporary basis, until the permanent seat is decided, and the process of recruiting the Secretariat staff should commence shortly.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy towards the establishment of a European Institute of Police Studies (2002/C42/10); what the relationship is with the European Police College; what account he has taken of Recital 6 on expanding the role of the Institute; what plans exist to centralise the Institute after the initial period is complete; who will constitute the UK delegation to the governing board; for what reason external observers will attend; what manner of expert will attend board meetings; what manner of research activities will be excluded as ultra vires research; and for what reason socioeconomics and political processes will be included as areas of interest. [57866]

Mr. Denham: The Presidency proposal to establish a European Institute of Police Studies has been discussed in the Police Cooperation Working Group. In common with a number of other Member States, the United Kingdom has expressed its concern that the proposal, rather than helping to co-ordinate activity across existing European Union institutions, would actually overlap the activity of those institutions, most particularly the European Police College (CEPOL). The Presidency has now remitted the proposal to the CEPOL Governing Board asking how CEPOL could take forward the proposals. The matter is due to be discussed by the CEPOL Governing Board at its next meeting, at the end of May 2002.

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