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Criminal Records Bureau

The Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety (Ms Hazel Blears): I am pleased to announce that the Criminal Records Bureau annual report and accounts 2003–04 has been published today and I am pleased to say that copies of the report have been placed in the Library of the House.

Police (Firearms)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Caroline Flint): The statistics for 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 show that the number of police operations in which firearms were issued was 16,657. The number of times a conventional firearm was discharged by police was eight which covered four incidents. A baton round was discharged on 15 occasions and a Taser was fired on 13 occasions as less lethal alternatives to conventional firearms.

Armed response vehicles were deployed on 13,218 occasions and there were 6,099 authorised firearms officers in England and Wales.
 
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Full details are set out in the tables below:
Number of Operations in which Firearms were Authorised

2000–012001–022002–032003–04
Total11,10913,99114,82716,657
Avon & Somerset65195262311
Bedfordshire294237301442
Cambridgeshire7111457104
Cheshire545419451397
Cleveland2837170453
City of London340131364
Cumbria30717772
Derbyshire167275401369
Devon & Cornwall15110196112
Dorset174184193231
Durham408983156
Essex435323312275
Gloucestershire48165185127
Gtr Manchester357580518507
Hampshire114198162208
Hertfordshire86112172195
Humberside158297187183
Kent83115137207
Lancashire242232238318
Leicestershire217300268295
Lincolnshire336477392386
Merseyside8251,020628751
Metropolitan1,8622,4473,1993,563
Norfolk226175200178
Northamptonshire5843138148
Northumbria7081,4401,2751,140
North Yorkshire7292100147
Nottinghamshire233384452459
South Yorkshire127258463484
Staffordshire203232281255
Suffolk176163270251
Surrey221245247203
Sussex353248204280
Thames Valley153179167195
Warwickshire233130149164
West Mercia3611791197
West Midlands4858229021,377
West Yorkshire822757604575
Wiltshire66455863
Dyfed Powys18282928
Gwent30203740
North Wales195302259197
South Wales363283281250

Number of Authorised Firearms Offices (AFOs)

2000–012001–022002–032003–04
Total6,0645,7765,7636,096
Avon & Somerset13511684122
Bedfordshire45485358
Cambridgeshire73567160
Cheshire74818975
Cleveland75858095
City of London74737286
Cumbria94928789
Derbyshire81806970
Devon & Cornwall100108115132
Dorset67575960
Durham1018610297
Essex195180184186
Gloucestershire72718082
Gtr Manchester240219202205
Hampshire100879494
Hertfordshire44464750
Humberside102969696
Kent1361139390
Lancashire132138129122
Leicestershire85696851
Lincolnshire80918778
Merseyside103788494
Metropolitan1,9401,8051,8232,060
Norfolk114104109114
Northamptonshire77515652
Northumbria1091259990
North Yorkshire66666460
Nottinghamshire137136131138
South Yorkshire989210098
Staffordshire67716367
Suffolk90908096
Surrey72624853
Sussex118120141134
Thames Valley185156180172
Warwickshire45505146
West Mercia130125131139
West Midlands83111110124
West Yorkshire117116132140
Wiltshire71717880
Dyfed Powys61776258
Gwent66576071
North Wales67837573
South Wales143138125139

 
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Number of Operations Involving Armed ResponseVehicles (ARVs)

2000–012001–022002–032003–04
Total8,17911,57411,84813,218
Avon & Somerset56173215249
Bedfordshire253172269414
Cambridgeshire364345155
Cheshire441523337356
Cleveland16136386
City of London3039131364
Cumbria27534565
Derbyshire152253363312
Devon & Cornwall121763294
Dorset155182180215
Durham31576696
Essex206165176138
Gloucestershire39140166109
Gtr Manchester302528406440
Hampshire84116108128
Hertfordshire6581129157
Humberside136273170158
Kent6489132193
Lancashire177192185273
Leicestershire195292232269
Lincolnshire324470367355
Merseyside75974547687
Metropolitan1,3801,6672,4472,423
Norfolk192157186169
Northamptonshire35259099
Northumbria6551,3491,2041,063
North Yorkshire546067110
Nottinghamshire207333397404
South Yorkshire103221280322
Staffordshire136208241212
Suffolk103116160194
Surrey192225240190
Sussex245189171250
Thames Valley108174167179
Warwickshire19410431138
West Mercia26100111241
West Midlands243563592975
West Yorkshire785609565543
Wiltshire48433928
Dyfed Powys18282928
Gwent17161623
North Wales155265198153
South Wales298218253161

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Domestic Dog and Cat Fur (Alleged Imports)

The Minister for Trade and Investment (Mr. Douglas Alexander): The Government promised to report back to both Houses 12 months from my predecessor's statement
 
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to the House on 28 January 2004, Official Report, columns 11–12WS on the alleged import of domestic cat and dog fur into the UK.

The Government understand the ethical abhorrence felt about this issue. Our priority remains to establish the facts about the extent of this alleged trade and to act in a measured way. To this end, we encouraged interested parties to come forward with hard evidence of such fur being on sale in the UK and we undertook work to establish a reliable scientific test to identify between different species of fur.

In July 2003 the Government invited interested parties to produce hard evidence of a problem in the UK, but to date there is no substantive evidence that such fur is entering the UK in significant and commercial quantities, if at all.

The Government have been working in parallel to establish a scientific test to make it possible to reliably ascertain what species of animal any given fur sample has come from. Such a test is essential to enable trading standards officers to address allegations of mislabelling arising under the existing Trade Descriptions Act and to help establish whether domestic cat and dog fur is on sale in the UK.

Last January we reported back on work commissioned on the mass spectrometry means of distinguishing the furs of domestic cat and dogs from that of other animal species. Scientific experts at the former Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC Ltd.) concluded that mass spectrometry was not yet sufficiently reliable.

The database of fur samples on which the mass spectrometry method relies, together with the search algorithms used in testing were improved in the year since the last tests were commissioned. On the basis of new tests commissioned in autumn 2004, LGC Ltd. has concluded that from this limited trial, the use MALDI TOF Mass Spectrometry to identify domestic dog and cat hair from other species is a viable option, although a question mark remains on identifying fur which has been chemically treated.

The UK keeps in touch with officials in several countries where the possible trade in domestic cat and dog fur is a concern, including the USA, Australia, France, Belgium and Sweden. We will be sharing our findings from the "mass spectrometry" trials with these governments and with all our European partners.

The Government position remains that without hard evidence of such imports at commercial levels to the UK, we will not consider legislation and that any action would be most effective if taken at EU level. The Government continue to welcome input and evidence from interested stakeholders and will continue to share information with other Governments, particularly those in Europe.


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