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20 May 2003 : Column 760W—continued
Gun Crime
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police officers in the UK are armed; and what proportion were armed in (a) 1979, (b) 1983, (c) 1987, (d) 1993, (e) 1997 and (f) 2001. [110593]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: It is not possible to provide accurate figures in the form requested. However, the number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) in police forces in England and Wales for years 1994–2001 are shown in the table. The figures do not take into account the more effective use and better training of authorised firearms officers.
| Number of authorisedfirearms officers (AFOs) | |
|---|---|
| 1994–95 | 6,837 |
| 1995–96 | 6,554 |
| 1996–97 | 6,738 |
| 1997–98 | 6,585 |
| 1998–99 | 6,308 |
| 1999–2000 | 6,262 |
| 2000–01 | 6,064 |
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Immigration Rules
Mr. Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish his planned changes to the immigration rules. [113654]
Beverley Hughes: A number of changes were made to the immigration rules on 1 April this year, including amendments to the marriage rules, the incorporation into the rules of the "de facto" adoption concession and the introduction of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme.
It is not always possible to predict, and publish in advance, what changes will be made to the immigration rules. Changes are made as and when necessary to reflect changes in policy and to respond to specific issues. However, it is anticipated that a major immigration rules consolidation exercise will be undertaken later in the year, at which point further immigration concessions will be incorporated.
Inspectorates (Pay Costs)
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 21 March 2003, Official Report, column 453W, on Inspections (Police), what the total pay costs incurred by (a) Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, (b) the Police Standards Unit and (c) the Police Complaints Authority were in each year since 1997. [113379]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The total pay costs incurred by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), the Police Standards Unit (PSU) and the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) are as follows:
| HMIC | PSU | PCA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 3.925 | 0 | 2.055 |
| 1998–99 | 3.848 | 0 | 2.010 |
| 1999–2000 | 3.749 | 0 | 2.079 |
| 2000–01 | 4.425 | 0 | 2.107 |
| 2001–02 | 5.657 | 0.427 | 2.589 |
| 2002–03 | 5.768 | 1.056 | 3.007 |
Note:
PSU did not come into existence until June 2001
Mosques
Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further action his Department is taking to prevent vandalism to mosques in (a) London and (b) the UK; and if he will make a statement. [112242]
Beverley Hughes: The vandalism of any place of worship, particularly when this stems from racial/religious hatred, is a despicable crime. The Government are committed to tackling hate crime, whatever form it takes.
The criminal law already contains a wide range of powers to deal with these types of offences. This includes, under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, the ability for courts to issue higher sentences to perpetrators of crimes motivated by racial or religious hatred.
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Under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, where the value of criminal damage is more than £5,000, the maximum penalty for those aged 18 and over is 10 years whilst for juveniles aged 12–17 it is a detention and training order of up to a 24 months.
These measures send a clear message that the Government will not tolerate these types of crimes.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), working with the Government, have also developed guidance for police forces on dealing with these types of crime. This guidance is entitled "Identifying and Combating Hate Crime" and was last updated in April 2002.
Additionally, ACPO has produced an operational guide for the anagement of inter ethnic conflict, which will ultimately aim to improve officers ability to understand, communicate and interact with many diverse communities.
Motor Bikes
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motor bikes have been confiscated since the Police Reform Act 2002 came into force. [114040]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Metropolitan Police to issue instructions to borough commanders to use the new powers to confiscate motor bikes under the Police Reform Act 2002 to combat anti-social behaviour. [114039]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has told me that procedures for the use of powers under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, to seize vehicles being used in an anti-social manner, are currently the subject of internal consultation. Instructions to borough commanders are expected to be published in the form of a Police Notice by the summer.
Police Targets
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department offers to Chief Constables of Police concerning targets on (a) monthly and (b) annual basis for numbers of (i) arrests made and (ii) summonses issued. [113606]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 15 May 2003]: The matter of targets, either monthly or annual, on the number of arrests made or summonses issued, is not one on which the home office issues advice to Chief Constables. Such targets as are set are a matter for the Chief Constables in the light of the prevailing local circumstances within their force areas.
Policing Costs (May Demonstrations)
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of policing the demonstrations in central London on 1 May. [113423]
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Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that a full assessment of the final costs of policing the demonstrations on 1 May is still in progress. I will write to the hon. Member with further details in due course.
Terrorist Profiling
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in response to the recommendation adopted at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 28–29 November 2002 in relation to terrorist profiling; and if he will make a statement. [113361]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The UK fully supported this Danish EU Presidency initiative and took an active part in a successful seminar on the subject held in Copenhagen in January. Although this project is still in its early stages, I understand that the seminar raised some interesting issues and the UK has volunteered to
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participate in a pilot group comprising experts from a number of EU member states and Europol with the aim of further developing this initiative.
Vehicle Theft
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) reported thefts and (b) convictions for theft of (i) motor cars and (ii) motorcycles there were in each police authority in each of the last five years. [113027]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The available information is contained in the table. The recorded crime figures cover the offences of aggravated vehicle taking and theft and unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle. The figures of persons convicted include the offence of being carried knowing motor vehicle to have been taken or driven away, in addition.
A distinction between motor cars and motor cycles is not available in the statistics collected centrally.
Court proceedings statistics for 2002 will be available in the autumn and recorded crime figures for 2002–03 in July.
(22) For persons convicted also includes the offence of 'Being carried knowing vehicle to have been taken or driven away'.
(23) The conviction figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with.
(24) Crimes were recorded on a calendar year basis up to 1997 and on a financial year basis thereafter.
(25) The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998.
(26) Due to some police forces adopting the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) earlier than its national introduction across England and Wales on 1 April 2002, figures for 2000–01 and 2001–02 may be inflated.
(27) Staffordshire Police were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter of 2000. Estimates based on this sample are included in the figures, as they are considered sufficiently robust at this level of analysis.
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