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4 Oct 2004 : Column 1908W—continued

Mobile Phones

Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to publish statistics on the number of motorists found using hand-held mobile phones while driving since 1 December 2003. [189507]

Paul Goggins: Data on police action (written warnings, fixed penalty notices and court proceedings) for 2003 on the new offence of driving whilst using a hand held mobile telephone will not be available until early 2005.

2004 data will be published in autumn 2005.

Neighbourhood Watch

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he possesses to support the statement by the Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety that the Neighbourhood Watch name and logos are Crown copyright; and why this evidence was not made available before the National Neighbourhood Watch Association registered the name and logo in its name. [188656]

Ms Blears [holding answer 13 September 2004]: The hon. Member may be aware that there is a legal dispute concerning the National Neighbourhood Watch Association's registration of the Neighbourhood Watch name and logos as its trade marks. As the question relates to issues in current legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.

Overseas Police Secondments

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are seconded to work in Iraq; from what force areas they are seconded; what the periods of their secondment are; at what cost they are employed in Iraq; what plans he has to increase their numbers; and if he will make a statement. [172324]

Mr. Rammell: I have been asked to reply.

There are currently 44 serving UK police officers seconded to the UK Consulate-General in Basra and the UK Embassy in Baghdad. In addition, 65 officers are
 
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1909W
 
posted to the Jordan International Police Training Centre near Amman in support of training Iraqi police officers there.

These officers are drawn from 36 of the 52 police forces in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and from the Ministry of Defence Police. Their deployments vary from six to 18 months.

The cost of supporting these officers in Iraq and Jordan from 1 April to August 2004 is estimated at £2.4 million.

There are no current plans to increase these numbers.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are seconded to work overseas in countries other than Iraq; from which forces they originate; what the cost was in April; and from which budget the costs are paid. [172328]

Mr. Rammell: I have been asked to reply.

The Government do not hold centrally information about the total number of serving police officers seconded to work overseas. However, the total number of police officers seconded from UK police forces to UN, EU, and OSCE policing/peacekeeping missions is currently 145.

These officers are drawn from 37 of the 52 police forces in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and from the Ministry of Defence Police.

The provisional out-turn estimates for supporting officers in these missions in the Financial Year 2003–04 was £15.6 million.

These costs are met from the peacekeeping element of the Global and African Conflict Prevention Pools, managed jointly by the FCO, MOD and DfID.

People-smuggling Operations

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people-smuggling operations were disrupted in the last year for which figures are available. [187083]

Mr. Browne: Reflex, the multi agency task force on organised immigration crime disrupted 38 groups involved in organised immigration crime between April 2003 and April 2004.

Between April 2004 and the end of June 2004 there have been 15 further disruptions.

In addition to the work underway within Reflex, the Immigration Service also undertakes routine investigations against those involved in immigration related crime, including facilitators, procurement or supply of forged documentation and illegal working. Figures are not yet available for the number of smuggling operations disrupted as a result of this activity.

Police (Suffolk)

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of (a) anti-social behaviour and (b) alcohol-related crime there have been in each of the last seven years in (i) the
 
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Suffolk constabulary, (ii) the western area of the Suffolk constabulary and (iii) the eastern area of the Suffolk constabulary. [187191]

Ms Blears: There is currently no data on the number of incidents of Anti Social Behaviour (ASB) due to the subjective nature of ASB itself. The latest data collected on ASB relate to the public perception of ASB in England and Wales and is measured by the British Crime Survey (BCS). Our Anti Social Behaviour strategy is aiming to reduce people's perception of anti social behaviour, as measured by the British Crime Survey (using a measure combining seven strands of anti social behaviour) by 2005–06 against the 2001–02 baseline. Latest figures show that the overall level of perceived ASB has fallen. The proportion of people estimated to perceive a high level of disorder in their local area fell from 19 per cent. to 16 per cent. between 2001–02 and 2003–04.

BCS data show that nearly half of victims of violent crime thought that their attacker was under the influence of alcohol. However, because alcohol-related incidents are not a recorded crime category, we are unable to reliably measure them.

This summer, the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers jointly ran an Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign. This campaign saw 92 Basic Command Units participating in concerted activity with partners to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence and disorder. Ipswich was one of these participating BCUs. Results from-this campaign show that, in these 92 areas across eight weekends, there were over 1,000 arrests per week for alcohol-related offences.

Police Complaints Commission

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests of (a) police officers and (b) civilians have been made in response to investigations carried out by the office of the Police Complaints Commission for England and Wales in each of the last four years. [188643]

Ms Blears: It is assumed that the question refers to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which was established under the Police Reform Act 2002 and commenced operations on 1 April 2004. It replaced the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) which ceased operations on 31 March 2004.

I understand from the IPCC that since 1 April 2004 there have been no arrests of police officers or civilians in response to its investigations none of which have yet reached this stage.

The PCA did not keep records of arrests in response to cases with which they were involved.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations carried out by the Police Complaints Commission for England and Wales have resulted in (a) successful prosecutions and (b) disciplinary charges being brought in each of the last four years. [188644]

Ms Blears: It is assumed that the question refers to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which was established under the Police Reform Act 2002
 
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and commenced operations on 1 April 2004. It replaced the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) which ceased operations on 31 March 2004.

I understand from the IPCC that since 1 April 2004 there have been no successful prosecutions or disciplinary charges brought as a result of its investigations, none of which have yet reached this stage.
 
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With regard to the PCA, records were not kept of successful prosecutions or disciplinary charges brought in connection with cases with which it was involved. The Home Office Statistical Bulletin on Police Complaints and Discipline (England and Wales) for the 12 months to March 2003 does however give figures on discipline /misconduct proceedings that resulted from substantiated complaints overall. These are:

	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
Disciplinary Proceedings—under the Police (Discipline) Regulations 1985	130	63	56	24
Misconduct Proceedings—under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 1999	16	83	78	88
Total	146	146	134	112

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost of the office of the Police Complaints Commission for England and Wales has been in each of the last three years. [188649]

Ms Blears: It is assumed that the question refers to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which was established under the Police Reform Act 2002 and commenced operations on 1 April 2004. It replaced the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) which ceased operations on 31 March 2004.

Accounts for 2003–04 for both the PCA and the IPCC, which existed in shadow form during that year, are currently being audited by the National Audit Office. Once finalised they will be published in accordance with statutory requirements.

	PCA total cost (£)
2002–03	5,420,675
2001–02	4,520,384
2000–01	3,787,696

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed (a) part-time and (b) full-time in the office of the Police Complaints Commission for England and Wales. [188650]

Ms Blears: It is assumed that the question refers to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which was established under the Police Reform Act 2002 and commenced operations on 1 April 2004. It replaced the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) which ceased operations on 31 March 2004.

The IPCC currently employs 264 full-time staff and five part-time staff. These are made up of permanent staff, those on fixed term contracts, public appointees, secondees and temporary staff.

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