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25 Jan 2005 : Column 266W—continued
Car Theft
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many car thefts there were in each London borough in (a) each year since 2001 and (b) each month to date in 2004. [205116]
Ms Blears: The information requested has been supplied by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and is contained in the following table.
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Community Support Officers
Mr. Frank Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the 20,000 community
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support officers that the Government have proposed to recruit by 2008, referred to in the HMIC Annual Report 2003–04, are to be posted in Merseyside. [208993]
Ms Blears [holding answer 17 January 2005]: The number of Community Support Officers (CSOs) in Merseyside at the end of September 2004 was 82. On 24 November I announced funding under the first round of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund (NPF) to enable Merseyside to recruit an additional 85 CSOs by the end of March. Details of the next phase of the NPF, for 2006–07 and 2007–08, will be announced later this year.
Crime
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Department has to denote business crime as a separate category within its reporting of criminal activity. [205532]
Ms Blears: The Home Office currently publishes annual total crime statistics recorded by the police in England and Wales for the following offences specifically relating to business crime; robbery of business property, theft by an employee, theft from shops and theft of an automatic machine or meter. The most recent figures are available in Statistical Bulletin 10/04 Crime in England and Wales 2003–04" at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0304.html.
However, we recognise that these figures provide a limited picture of the true nature of crimes experienced by the business sector. We are also aware that businesses do not report every incidence of crime for a variety of reasons.
Bearing this in mind, on 26 November, the Home Office also published the initial findings of the 2002 Commercial Victimisation Survey. This provided further information on the actual levels of business crime as well as an indication of the proportion of businesses which report the crimes that they suffer.
The Home Office Business Crime Team is also looking at how current information on business crime, including retail crime, can be enhanced, in particular, whether it is feasible to identify crimes against businesses in police recorded crime statistics through a pilot with South Wales.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol-related violent offences have been reported to (a) Essex police and (b) Southend police in each year since 1997; and how many reports led to a (i) prosecution and (ii) conviction. [208591]
Ms Blears: From the information collected on recorded crime and court proceedings, it is not possible to identify those violent offences which are alcohol-related. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in either data series.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of domestic violence have been reported to (a) Essex police and (b) Southend police in each year since 1997; and how many reports led to a (i) prosecution and (ii) conviction. [208592]
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Ms Blears: From the information collected on recorded crime and court proceedings, it is not possible to identify cases of domestic violence. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in either data series.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many youth crime offences have been reported to (a) Essex police and (b) Southend police in each year since 1997; and how many reports led to (i)prosecution and (ii) conviction. [208595]
Ms Blears: Information is not collected centrally on the number of recorded offences involving youths. The reason for this is that the recorded crime series deals purely with offences and does not collect any details on the offender.
Statistics on the number of juvenile defendants proceeded against and found guilty in the Essex police force area and South East Essex petty sessional area are given in the table. Court proceedings data is published on a calendar year basis. Data for 2004 will not be available until the autumn.
(4)These data are on the principal offence basis.
(5)For South East Essex PSA the guilty figures include those found guilty at the Crown court where South East Essex PSA was the committing court.
(6)Covers Southend and includes some parts of Rayleigh, Benfleet and Canvey.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of internet crime have been reported to (a) Essex police and (b) Southend police in each year since 1997; and how many reports led to a (i) prosecution and (ii) conviction. [208640]
Ms Blears: From the information collected on recorded crime and court proceedings, it is not possible to identify internet crime offences. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in either data series.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on crime in retail stores; and if he will make a statement. [205372]
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Ms Blears: The Government takes crimes against the business community very seriously and is taking positive action to tackle retail crime and investigate the levels of crime that retailers suffer.
A commercial victimisation survey was carried out in 2002 which covered the incidence and cost of crime suffered by retailers in the preceding 12 months. The survey showed that the level of crime against retailers was lower than in 1993.
As part of the £15 million programme to support retailers in deprived areas, a development and practice report has been published to highlight initial results and best practice. A full evaluation of the programme will be published next year.
The Government Office for London are working with the metropolitan police to conduct a study of crime experienced by Black and minority ethnic businesses in London. This will include retail stores and results of this study are expected to be published next year.
Where reports have been published, they are available on the Home Office Website.
A number of other annual surveys carried out by trade organisations, such as the British Retail Consortium and the British Chambers of Commerce, provide helpful information about the levels of crimes experienced by their members.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the clear up rate for (a) burglary, (b) car theft and (c) possession of illegal drugs was in Southend in each of the last five years. [207632]
Ms Blears: The available information relates to offences cleared up in the Southend Basic Command Unit and is given in the table.
Information on the clear up rate for possession of drug offences is not available prior to 2001–02.
n/a=not available.
Note:
The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
| Period | Burglary in a dwelling | Theft of a vehicle | Possession of drugs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 15 | 15 | 92 |
| 2003–04 | 13 | 16 | 100 |
Note:
The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
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