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24 Feb 2003 : Column 94—continued
Mr. Clappison: My hon. Friend makes a good point. I am sure that his constituents in Bishop's Stortford will be rightly concerned about that problem. The position that he describes is not the fault of the Hertfordshire force, which has done its best to spread officers throughout the whole area. However, the increased responsibilities for the force, of which the Minister seems unaware, have meant that officers have been taken from other parts of the county in order to police the new areas, such as Hertsmere, that have come under Hertfordshire.
Mr. Richard Page (South-West Hertfordshire): I congratulate my hon. Friend on obtaining the debate. In fact, there are plenty of police officers in Hertfordshire—we are knee-deep in them. The problem is that they go to work in London because they get thousands of pounds more, as well as support for travel and other things, so my constituency, like those of my hon. Friends in Hertfordshire, is short of policemen. Until the Government address that problem we shall not have enough officers. Is my hon. Friend aware that in a recent survey conducted in my constituency crime was the No. 1 concern?
Mr. Clappison: My hon. Friend is right. The situation is similar in my constituency. Many police officers live in Hertsmere, but many of them commute to London to serve in the Metropolitan force.
Mr. Oliver Heald (North-East Hertfordshire): Does my hon. Friend agree that in the north-eastern corner of the county the situation is the same? The force is spread very thin indeed. In small rural communities such as Buntingford and Royston, there is genuine concern that there is no longer the visible police presence that is needed to maintain law and order.
Mr. Clappison: My hon. Friend's constituents and mine may be suffering from the same problem—a rising
tide of antisocial behaviour. They want to see more officers on the streets. They know that the Hertfordshire force is doing its best to provide those officers, but that it suffers from funding constraints and the relativity problem in respect of London. They have problems in recruiting and retaining enough officers. I shall deal with that important point later.I am sure that my hon. Friends share my concern and that of other people in Hertfordshire, including my local authority, about the settlement under the Government's new funding arrangements. The problems that we have been describing are hardly likely to be solved by the new arrangements.
There have been questions about the communications between the Hertfordshire police authority and the Government. The Minister may be able to clear up some of the issues this evening. However, the police authority leaves me in no doubt as to the strength of its concern about the funding settlement. On 6 December, the chairman of the police authority and the chief constable wrote to me about the present settlement. They said:
- "We are sure . . . that you will share our extreme disappointment and concern at the funding levels announced yesterday . . . it is transparent that Hertfordshire will need to find at least £5 million from Council Tax just to maintain the current level of policing services."
- "a very difficult funding situation",
On 23 January, the leaders of all three parties in Hertsmere borough council wrote to the Home Secretary to express their concerns about the constraints on Hertfordshire police. They acknowledged the work of the Hertfordshire constabulary in seeking to provide an effective service with a limited number of men. I will quote their letter to the Minister to show the Hertsmere point of view on policing and police resources. It said that they wanted to
- "voice the strength of our feelings regarding the inadequate level of policing in our Borough. Our residents tell us that crime and disorder is a priority issue for them. Sadly, there is a widespread lack of confidence in the ability of the police to respond speedily to 999 calls or to provide a sufficient presence on the streets to deter crime and anti-social behaviour."
As the Member of Parliament for Hertsmere, I am besieged by the complaints of constituents in different communities in the constituency. For example, two weeks ago I attended a meeting of concerned residents
in Farriers way in Boreham Wood, who were addressing the problems of antisocial behaviour caused by youths, as well as responding to a murder inquiry that arose out of the death of a local man in tragic and appalling circumstances. I pay tribute to the courageous and public-spirited way in which local councillors and residents are facing up to such issues in Boreham Wood.Three weeks ago, I attended a meeting at a synagogue in Bushy. The meeting was called as result of an incident in Bushy Heath on a Friday night not long before, when a small group of boys who were making their way home from Friday evening prayers were set upon by a much larger group of youths and abused in a very unpleasant way. That incident seems to be part of a pattern of antisocial behaviour in Bushy Heath, with youths roaming around and abusing shopkeepers and members of the public. On one occasion, the local vicar was prompted to call for police assistance after abuse was hurled at his parishioners as they made their way into church.
Similar stories of antisocial behaviour were ventilated at another public meeting that I attended in a different part of Bushy—the Hertford road area. Again I pay tribute to the members of the public and the councillors of all parties who are trying to tackle such problems. Likewise, in Potters Bar, I have been contacted by members of the public who are worried by crime and antisocial behaviour in different parts of the town. Among other things, they are worried by recent thefts and robberies from shops in the town. I have also met one group of residents who were worried by the prevalence of robberies of individuals and their families in their own homes. I believe that "aggravated burglary" is the correct term. It is a despicable crime when somebody's home is invaded by desperate men and the householder and his family are set upon and their property stolen. It is a serious offence that should be distinguished from the generality of burglaries. It has left a group of my constituents living in some fear.
My constituents as a whole are deeply concerned by what they perceive to be a serious and growing problem. I hope that the Minister will acknowledge their well-founded concerns and respond to them. One way in which the Government could begin to respond—and my hon. Friends have anticipated this point in their interventions—would be by reconsidering the pay and differentials that make it much easier for the Metropolitan police to recruit than it is for the Hertfordshire force. That point is made by the Hertsmere group leaders in the letter to which I have already referred. I accept that the Government have partly addressed the issue with the introduction two years ago of a new allowance of £2,000 for forces in the south-east. However, the fact remains that Metropolitan police officers still receive an additional £4,000, as well as generous travel concessions. The difference between the forces is significant and it is widely believed to disadvantage Hertfordshire. As the group leaders say in their letter to the Minister:
- "Until something is done to address the marked pay inequality between the two forces, it seems likely that there will always be a high percentage of vacancies in our local force. We would therefore urge you to address this issue as a priority and thus demonstrate your commitment to community safety."
Mr. Clappison: My hon. Friend makes an important point and I am sure that the Minister will want to address it. We would all, on behalf of our constituents, want the Government to take a constructive approach towards special constables, who undoubtedly have an important role.
There is a problem with full-time police officers. I have already explained Hertfordshire's disadvantages when it comes to recruiting officers, but the same issues of pay and conditions create problems in retaining those officers. Hertfordshire constabulary has written to me about a growing concern
- "at the rising number of experienced officers who are leaving the Constabulary—either for the Metropolitan Police Service who are allowed to pay higher allowances or to parts of the country where the cost of housing is cheaper."
- "The continued loss of experienced staff is debilitating and compromises our ability to provide the services we want our public to receive".
The Hertfordshire force faces serious problems. I believe that the police authority and the constabulary are facing up to those problems, but they need more help than they are receiving at the moment if they are to be successful. They need more support, and I look to the Minister for a constructive response to the problems of law and order that the constabulary faces.
We know that the inner cities and the great metropolitan areas have problems with law and order, but communities in Hertfordshire and other shire counties have problems as well. In many cases, those problems are getting worse. Leave those problems to fester and our constituents will pay a heavy price. We need the Minister to acknowledge the depth of concern in those communities and to make at least a start in addressing them.
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