| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Alcohol
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has held on the impact of the withdrawal of authority from police to remove unopened containers of alcohol from underage youths in public areas in 2001; and if he will make a statement. [61094]
Mr. Denham: The existing police powers to confiscate alcohol from under-age drinkers in public places, provided by the Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997, were amended by section 29 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. This makes it clear that the police can now confiscate alcohol in containers that have been opened, but not alcohol in sealed containers. This adjustment was made to ensure consistency with new police powers to confiscate alcohol from persons in designated public places, provided by section 12 of the 2001 Act.
18 Jul 2002 : Column 559W
We have discussed the effect of this change with the Association of Chief Police Officers and we have received correspondence about it from representatives of the Police Superintendents' Association, police forces and Members of Parliament.
In the light of these representations, we have asked the Association of Chief Police Officers for advice on whether a further change in the law would be helpful to clarify or strengthen police powers to confiscate alcohol from under-age drinkers.
Illegal Drugs
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people aged under 25 was estimated to be using illegal drugs in each year since 1997, and if he will make a statement. [66288]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 4 July 2002]: Results from the 1998 and 2000 British Crime Surveys estimate that 29 per cent. of adults aged between 16 and 24 reported to have used an illegal drug in the previous year.
Results from the 2001 survey on "Drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England" (published in a Statistical Press Notice by the Department of Health on 15 March 2002) estimates that 20 per cent. of school children aged between 11 and 15 reported to have used an illegal drug in the previous year. A revised and more detailed method for measuring the prevalence of drug use was introduced in 2001. The questions used in 2001 provide new estimates on drug use and are not comparable with results from previous sweeps. Estimates from previous years were 12 per cent. in 1999, 14 per cent. in 2000 and 20 per cent. in 2001.
Police Training
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the training period is for (a) police officers and (b) special constables; and if he will make a statement. [59303]
Mr. Denham: The initial training period for new police officer recruits is two years, and the bulk of this training is provided locally within individual forces.
Training periods vary from force to force and this data is not held centrally for specials. A new special constabulary foundation-training package is currently being developed.
The National Competency Framework which is being introduced into police training, will ensure support police officers, special constables, support staff and others including community support officers are trained to the appropriate level of competence.
18 Jul 2002 : Column 560W
Hampshire Police Authority
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the regularity and subject matter of communications between his Department and Hampshire police authority in June. [69256]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 12 July 2002]: The Home Office does not have a regular cycle of correspondence with police authorities on a monthly basis. A trawl of the Department and inquiries of Hampshire police authority has identified 14 items of correspondence sent from the Home Office and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to the police authority between 1 and 30 June 2002. These covered a range of issues including police reform, police performance and funding arrangements.
Leicestershire Police Authority
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of members of the Leicestershire Police Authority, their occupations and remuneration. [54498]
Mr. Denham: This information is not held centrally. Under the Police Authorities (Model Code of Conduct) Order 2001, a police authority must maintain a register of financial and other interests, including details of employment. There is no obligation on members to register their personal income. Under paragraph 25A of Schedule 2 of the Police Act 1996 (inserted by section 107 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001), police authorities must publish arrangements for the payment of allowances to their members. Members of Leicestershire police authority must have registered their interests by 28 May 2002. The hon. Member may wish to contact the Clerk of Leicestershire police authority for publicly available information on authority members.
Police
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police authorities have been provided with PFI credits for new buildings and major refurbishments; what the capital value of each investment is; how many new buildings are proposed within each project; and at what stage they are in the PFI procurement process. [59839]
Mr. Denham: Details on the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects for police authorities where contracts have been signed are set out in table 1. Credit approval has been given for all these schemes.
A number of forces have been given provisional approval for schemes which are in the earlier stages of procurement. These are listed in table 2.
18 Jul 2002 : Column 561W
| Police force | Project | Number of new buildings | Estimated capital value (£ million) | Procurement stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorset(22) | 2 Joint Fire/Ambulance Stations and 1 Police Divisional Headquarters | 3 | 15.0 | OBC |
| Cheshire | Centralised Custody Suites | 3 | 15.0 | Bidders assessed |
| Gloucestershire | Force Headquarters | 1 | 17.0 | Bidders assessed |
| Kent | Divisional Headquarters, Medway | 1 | 19.0 | ITN |
| Wiltshire | Divisional Headquarters and satellite facilities | 5 | 15.0 | ITN |
| Cleveland | Centralised Custody Suites | 3 | 12.0 | Preferred bidder identified |
| Greater Manchester | Property Review—Divisional/Sub Divisional Headquarters and Police Stations | 16 | 60.0 | FBC |
| Gwent | Ystrad Mynach Police Station | 1 | 5.2 | FBC |
| North Wales | Divisional Headquarters and Major Incident Unit | 1 | 20.0 | FBC |
| Total | 178.2 |
(22) denotes joint project with the fire service
Note:
OBC—Outline Business Case endorsed in principle for credit support.
Bidders Identified—Initial bidders assessed following publication of Notice in Official Journal of the European Communities.
ITN—Invitation to Negotiate issued to a selected number of contractors.
FBC—Final Business Case: preparation or conclusion of the full and final business case for the proposed development in light of final bids.
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Police Reform and Bill Unit was established; how much it cost in 2001; how many staff it employs; and what its remit is. [62348]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 17 June 2002]: The Police Reform Bill and Implementation Unit—as it is now known—was established in June 2001 to co-ordinate the implementation of the police reform programme, as set out in the White Paper "Policing A New Century: A Blueprint for Reform", and to manage the Police Reform Bill.
The unit currently employs 11 staff. Total costs for the last financial year were approximately £525,000.
18 Jul 2002 : Column 562W
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations there were by region in England and Wales, in each of the last 10 years. [62164]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 17 June 2002]: Information on the number of police stations by region in each of the last 10 years is given in the table.
Comprehensive information is available from all 43 forces for the three years to March 2000, March 2001 and March 2002, but some forces were unable to provide data for earlier years. This is reflected in the table.
| Region | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 57 | 57 | 58 | 62 | 64 | 64 | 63 | 62 | 98 | 98 | 96 |
| North West | 322 | 323 | 329 | 318 | 318 | 315 | 305 | 288 | 279 | 277 | 277 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 126 | 127 | 127 | 123 | 122 | 119 | 122 | 116 | 188 | 185 | 182 |
| East Midlands | 145 | 146 | 146 | 146 | 147 | 147 | 124 | 124 | 153 | 157 | 155 |
| West Midlands | 213 | 202 | 197 | 194 | 184 | 179 | 176 | 175 | 174 | 174 | 175 |
| Eastern(24) | 250 | 226 | 225 | 194 | 193 | 193 | 193 | 190 | 199 | 186 | 186 |
| London(24) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 158 | 146 | 150 |
| South East(24) | 285 | 274 | 270 | 263 | 256 | 253 | 243 | 242 | 237 | 234 | 236 |
| South West | 311 | 305 | 277 | 262 | 242 | 223 | 220 | 216 | 201 | 197 | 195 |
| Wales | 208 | 203 | 202 | 200 | 200 | 182 | 241 | 236 | 283 | 271 | 267 |
| Totals(23) | 1,919 | 1,865 | 1,833 | 1,764 | 1,728 | 1,677 | 1,689 | 1,651 | 1,970 | 1,925 | 1,919 |
(23) Totals given for 1992–97 cover 34 forces only. The remaining nine forces were unable to supply the relevant data. The total figures for 1998 and 1999 cover 35 forces only. For 2000, 2001 and 2002 all forces provided data.
(24) As a result of boundary changes in April 2000, 12 police stations were transferred from the Metropolitan Police Service to Essex (2), Herts (4) and Surrey (6).
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in Portsmouth have less than two years' experience; and if he will make a statement. [58561]
Mr. Denham: The information requested has been provided by the Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary (Mr. P. R. Kernaghan Esq. QPM).
In the Portsmouth Division of the Hampshire Constabulary there were 72 officers with less than two years' experience as at 30 April 2002. This is 17.4 per cent. of the total strength of the Division, which was 413 at the same date.
Police force performance does not depend solely upon the number or experience of officers available. The
18 Jul 2002 : Column 563W
proposals in the White Paper "Policing a New Century: A blueprint for Reform" set out a radical and ambitious programme of reform, with the overall aim of reducing crime and the fear of crime and to tackle antisocial behaviour. The test of success will be whether the measures being put in place will make a real difference to the quality of life of individuals and communities up and down the country.
The public have a right to expect the same high standards of service wherever they live and the Government propose to put a framework in place to ensure that all police forces come up to the standard of the best.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are employed by the Devon and Cornwall Police Force; and if he will make a statement. [59366]
Mr. Denham: Figures supplied by the Chief Constable (Sir John Evans QPM) show that on 31 January 2002 Devon and Cornwall constabulary had 3,030 officers. This figure is for full-time equivalent officers, was an increase of 166 over force strength at 31 March 1997 and was a record strength for the force.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what point in their recruitment and training a new recruit to the police force counts for the purposes of his figures on police strength. [52336]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 25 April 2002]: New recruits to the police service count toward the statistics for police strength from the date of their appointment to a police force.
Training takes place after appointment. Recruits normally begin accompanied patrol about 19 weeks after recruitment and usually qualify to undertake independent patrol after about 31 weeks.
Police strength is at record levels, but it is not only the number of officers which matters. The Government are committed to ensuring that forces are making best use of existing resources and that patrol officers are spending as much time as possible on the front line, carrying out their core functions.
The public have a right to expect the same high standards of service wherever they live and the Government propose to put a framework in place to ensure that all police forces come up to the standard of the best.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |