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Prison Suicides

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides of (a) women and (b) men occurred in prison in England in the (i) last six years and (ii) most recent year for which figures are available. [70609]

Hilary Benn: The information requested is given in the table.

Number of self-inflicted deaths for males and females in prisons in England and Wales, 1996 to 2002(25)

MaleFemaleTotal
199662264
199765368
199880383
199986591
200073881
200167673
2002(26)44347
Total85339892

(25) To 15 July 2002

(26) To date


The Prison Service employs the term "self-inflicted death" (which includes all those deaths where it appears that the person may have acted specifically to take his/her own life) rather than suicide.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1239W, on prison hospital suicides, if he will make a statement on the timetable for the Prison Service review of the suicide prevention strategy; and what progress has been made. [68261]

22 Jul 2002 : Column 829W

Hilary Benn [holding answer 5 July 2002]: The Prison Service suicide prevention strategy was reviewed in 2000 and my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw), the then Home Secretary, announced the launch of the new three-year suicide and self-harm strategy in February 2001. Work on the development of the new strategy started in April 2001 and will run to March 2004.

One of the projects currently being developed as part of the new strategy is the Care of Prisoners project. This project includes a review of procedures for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm (the F2052SH system) referred to in the answer to my right hon. Friend's question of 26 February. A new process for managing at risk prisoners is being developed and will be piloted in the autumn.

Police Stations

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many functioning police stations there were, broken down by (a) police force and (b) local authority area, in each year since 1997. [42371]

Mr. Denham: Chief constables have provided information on the number of police stations functioning in the years since 1997. This is given in the table. Police and local authority areas now coincide.

Comprehensive information is available for the three years to March 2000, March 2001 and March 2002, but in some cases forces were unable to provide data for earlier years. This is reflected in the table.

Police station numbers 1997–2002

Force: at March199719981999200020012002
Avon and Somerset353639394142
Bedfordshire11109
Cambridgeshire292825252424
Cheshire383836333535
City of London222222
Cleveland242322222222
Cumbria343424242425
Derbyshire252725
Devon and Cornwall716868656564
Dorset272726262525
Durham404040404038
Dyfed-Powys444748484848
Essex(27)114114114725755
Gloucestershire626359474240
Greater Manchester827470706868
Gwent5752564949
Hampshire10410294928989
Hertfordshire(27)232323212525
Humberside353634333332
Kent323232323030
Lancashire109108108108107106
Leicestershire282828303030
Lincolnshire434242424241
Metropolitan(27)156144148
Merseyside525150444343
Norfolk424245
Northamptonshire121212121212
Northumbria363636
North Wales545251
North Yorkshire353535
Nottinghamshire644242444647
South Wales138137136125122119
South Yorkshire848682807775
Staffordshire393838383838
Suffolk272828282828
Surrey(27)302826222829
Sussex343435363635
Thames Valley534755555153
Warwickshire151515151515
West Mercia535353535353
West Midlands727069686869
West Yorkshire404040
Wiltshire282624242424
Totals(28)1,6772>1,689(28)1,6511,9701,9251,919

(27) The apparent loss of 12 stations by the Metropolitan police service between March 2000 and March 2001 reflects transfers to boundary forces in April 2000; Essex (2), Herts (4) and Surrey (6).

(28) Individual force figures are given where available. Some forces are unable to provide numbers for years before March 2000.


22 Jul 2002 : Column 830W

Police Numbers (London)

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extra police officers have been drafted into London after the events of 11 September. [28935]

Mr. Denham: The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis informs me that no officers were drafted into London from other forces following the events of September 11. However, officers from all London boroughs were deployed to meet security needs. Crime statistics published on 12 July (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 07/02) showed that, in the period following this redeployment of officers, there were falls in recorded burglary in Westminster and rises in outer London boroughs. A less marked effect was seen in relation to levels of vehicle crime, but there was no noticeable impact on robbery in Westminster during the same period. Operational deployment is a matter for the Commissioner.

Jurors

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research he has commissioned on (a) improper influence of jurors and (b) intimidation of jurors. [67653]

Hilary Benn: No recent research has been commissioned on the improper influence and intimidation of jurors. The Home Office has commissioned more general research into juries and jurors' experiences and perceptions of the criminal justice system. A report is scheduled for publication later this year.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been made in south Tyneside. [3070]

Mr. Denham: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are community-based civil orders, which can be applied for by the police or local authority, in consultation with each other against an individual or several individuals whose behaviour is antisocial. Applications are to the magistrates court acting in its civil capacity.

ASBOs were introduced from 1 April 1999. The data given in the table cover the period up to the end of December 2001 (latest available).

We are currently considering whether any further checks are needed to ensure the accuracy of the number of ASBOs reported.

Number of antisocial behaviour orders issued, as reported to the Home Office, from 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2001 within Northumbria by local government authority

Area1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000(29)1 June 2000 to 31 December 20001 January 2001 to 31 December 2001Total
Police force area/MCC(30)
Northumbria85518
Local government authority
Gateshead MB(31)33
Newcastle-upon-Tyne(31)22
North Tyneside(31)22
South Tyneside(31)112
Sunderland, City of(31)11

(29) Total figure available only for Northumbria police force area within this period. Local government authority not known.

(30) MCC—magistrates courts committee area.

(31) Not available.


22 Jul 2002 : Column 831W

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he plans to publish a report on the use and effectiveness of ASBOs; [37773]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 27 February 2002]: A commitment was made to Parliament during the passage of the Crime and Disorder Bill to review the antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) after two years. A review, covering their use and effectiveness, has been undertaken and will be published shortly.


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