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Police
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and account procedures were undertaken by the police on average in a day in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by (a) police force area and (b) crime reduction partnership. [203511]
Ms Blears: There is no data currently held centrally on stop and account procedures. The requirement to record all stops in line with recommendation 61 of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry will become effective on 1 April 2005.
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of members of the police force in Stoke-on-Trent are (a) community support officers, (b) reserve officers and (c) part-time officers. [209896]
Ms Blears: Community support officers (CSOs) are not police officers, but police staff for whom the chief officer of the force may designate certain limited powers. The police service in England and Wales does not have a category of reserve police officers. Information on police numbers is not available in a way that makes it possible to identify the number of part-time police officers in the Stoke-on-Trent basic command unit (BCU).
The number of police officers (full-time equivalent) in the Stoke-on-Trent BCU on 31 March 2004 was 587. On 31 March 2004 there were 109 special constables in the Stoke-on-Trent BCU and at the end of September 2004 there were six CSOs in the Stoke-on-Trent BCU. I understand that the chief constable is using some of the funding made available by the Home Office in 2004–05 to increase the number of CSOs in Stoke to 18.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) community support officers and (b) police officers have been recruited in each of the last 24 months, broken down by (i) police force and (ii) police authority. [205360]
Ms Blears: Information on police officer and community support officer (CSO) joiners is published annually. For 2002–03 it can be found at Table 5 (police officers) and Table 8 (CSOs) in Home Office Statistical Bulletin No.11/03 "Police Service Strength, England and Wales, 31 March 2003", published on 1 October 2003. For 2003–04 the same information can be found at Table 5 (police officers) and Table 8 (CSOs) of Home Office Statistical Bulletin No.13/04 "Police Service Strength, England and Wales, 31 March 2004", published on 27 September 2004. Copies are in the Library.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police recruits have completed basic police training in each year since 1997. [200288]
Ms Blears:
The number of police recruits who have completed Stage 2 of Foundation Training in Centrex regional training centres in each financial year since 1997–98 are given in the table.
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The number of police recruits who have completed Foundation Training in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) are also given in the table. (The MPS were unable to provide accurate figures for 1997–98.)
| Centrex | MPS | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 4,885 | — |
| 1998–1999 | 3,750 | 1,113 |
| 1999–2000 | 3,090 | 1,192 |
| 2000–01 | 5,861 | 862 |
| 2001–02 | 7,578 | 1,690 |
| 2002–03 | 7,977 | 2,374 |
| 2003–04 | 8,701 | 2,953 |
Policing (Lewisham)
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) community support officers and (b) estate wardens have been deployed in the Lewisham, Deptford constituency, broken down by year of appointment. [201097]
Ms Blears: The Lewisham, Deptford parliamentary constituency is part of the Lewisham borough operational command unit (OCU). The information available is for the OCU, in which 36 community support officers have been deployed. The Commissioner informs me that compiling a breakdown by year of appointment would incur disproportionate cost. community support officers were first deployed in Lewisham on 31 March 2003.
The ministerial responsibility for wardens lies with my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, but I understand that 30 wardens have been deployed in the borough of Lewisham.
Prison Suicides
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many of the prisoners who committed suicide in 2004 were housed in safe cells;. [208205]
(2) how many safe cells were installed in 2004; and how many he plans to install in 2005. [208206]
Paul Goggins: During 2004 there was one apparently self-inflicted death of a prisoner in a safer cell.
To confirm the number of safer cells installed during 2004 would require disproportionate cost. However, there are to date approximately 3,400 safer cells (including 389 at Bronzefield prison, which opened in June 2004) and there will be an additional 1,900 by April 2006.
No cell can be considered totally "safe", but a safer cell can complement a regime providing care of at risk prisoners and reduce risks around impulsive suicide attempts. The design of these cells includes features such as specially designed furniture and fixtures which are manufactured and installed to make the attachment of ligatures very difficult, and the prevention of access to window bars via non-opening windows with integral ventilation grills. The use of this type of accommodation should be seen as just one part of the multi-faceted suicide prevention strategy, as outlined in my answer to the hon. Member's accompanying Question [208208].
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Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prisoners who committed suicide in 2004 were (a) men and (b) women; how many of each sex were aged under 21; and how many of each sex were on remand without conviction; [208207]
(2) how many prisoners committed suicide in 1998. [208209]
Paul Goggins: The information requested about prisoner self-inflicted deaths in 2004 is shown in the following table.
| Sex | Total | Under 21 | Remand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 82 | 5 | 30 |
| Female | 13 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 95 | 5 | 32 |
Reducing the number of prisoner self-inflicted deaths remains a priority for myself and the Prison Service.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the number of suicides in prison; and whether his policy includes a target for the number of suicides each year which should not be exceeded. [208208]
Paul Goggins: On 31 March 2004, I announced the outline suicide prevention strategy that would be developed over the coming year. It can be summarised as, "Reducing distress and promoting the well-being of all who live and work in prisons". This follows extensive consultations including those with the Howard League, Prison Reform Trust, Inquest, the Youth Justice Board, Prisons and Probations Ombudsman, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Samaritans and the Department of Health.
This strategy builds on the three-year safer custody strategy that ran from April 2001 and has a close relationship with issues of resettlement, detoxification, health, purposeful activity, as well as staff attitudes, leadership and training. Key achievements were the setting up of suicide prevention co-ordinators or equivalents in all prisons across the estate, an investment of over £21 million at six 'safer local' pilot sites and the development of a safer prison design, including "safer cells".
Clearly, all self-inflicted deaths in prison are deeply regrettable. To accompany the three-year safer custody strategy, a target was set for reducing the rate of self- inflicted deaths per 100,000 prisoners from the 1999–2000 figure of 141 to 112.8 by 2004–05. A rate of about 130 deaths per 100,000 is projected for 2004–05. The prisoner targets are being reconsidered in the light of experience.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners committed suicide in 2004 broken down by prison; and how many of those were (a) remand prisoners, (b) convicted but not sentenced, (c) aged under 16, (d) aged 16 or 17 and (e) aged between 18 and 21. [208516]
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Paul Goggins:
The information requested is provided in the following table.
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Prisons not shown on the list (88 of the 136 establishments) did not have any self-inflicted deaths during 2004.
On 31 March 2004, I announced the outline suicide prevention strategy that would be developed over the coming year. It can be summarised as, "Reducing distress and promoting the well-being of all who live and work in prisons". It has a close relationship with issues of resettlement, detoxification, health, purposeful activity and staff training.
The strategy recognises that prisoners are at particular risk of harming themselves in their early period in custody, when they are coping with issues of fear of imprisonment, detoxification or the impact of arrest on their family. Equally such risk is heightened when a prisoner's custodial status changes, for example when convicted or sentenced.
Remand prisoners form a large proportion of the prisoners in early custody and are therefore subject to a number of assessments and policies designed to enhance their safety. Any new prisoner or one whose status has changed has an interview with a reception healthcare screener, who looks for signs that a prisoner may self-harm. Induction sessions for new prisoners emphasise the support that is available, from staff, health care and
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other specialists, and from prisoner peer supporters such as insiders or Samaritans-trained listeners. The importance of maintaining contact with family and employers, and providing support to prisoners in respect of maintaining their housing, is further emphasised through the Custody to Work programme.
The Prison Service and the Youth Justice Board (YJB) are working closely together to prevent the suicides of young people held in their care. The YJB funds a dedicated juvenile outreach team to specifically assist juvenile establishments further develop and maintain their local suicide and self-harm prevention strategies. As part of the national Prison Service suicide prevention strategy, a separate (but linked) strategy is being developed for juveniles.
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