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5 Jul 2005 : Column 381W—continued
Criminal Assets
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he used to decide the amount given to each police force from the extra £13 million in funding under the asset recovery incentive scheme. [5792]
Hazel Blears:
As agreed with the Association of Chief Police Officers, incentive payments were based on the performance of each force in 2004–05 in the recovery of criminal assets. The amount given to each force was determined by their percentage contribution to the total value of cash forfeitures and confiscation orders obtained by the police service in 2004–05.
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Criminal Offences
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal offences have been created in legislation sponsored by his Department since May 1997; and how many have been abolished. [6725]
Hazel Blears: The Home Office does not keep a central record of all the criminal offences that it has created or abolished. The latest information available shows that between one May 1997 and January 2004, the Home Office created 357 new criminal offences. This figure includes offences which have been modified or re-enacted.
Disorder Penalty Notices
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices for disorder for throwing objects at trains have been issued by the (a) Metropolitan police and (b) British Transport police in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [5989]
Paul Goggins: In the period 1 January 2004 to 30 April 2005, the latest date for which figures are available, the number of penalty notices for disorder issued for throwing stones or things likely to cause damage or injury at trains is (a) six by the Metropolitan police and (b) two by the British Transport police. The British Transport police have yet to fully implement use of penalty notices nationally.
DNA Records
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA records were held by each police force in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnicity; and if he will make a statement. [5727]
Hazel Blears: The information requested will be placed in the Library.
Dog Theft
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of dog theft; and if he will make a statement. [6137]
Hazel Blears: There is no national strategy to counter dog theft. Where this emerges as a pressing local crime issue, it would be for the police, in consultation with the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, to take appropriate action.
Domestic Violence
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) women and (b) men have been recorded as victims of domestic violence in each of the last five years, broken down by age. [5618]
Hazel Blears:
Domestic violence is not separately identified in recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office. Figures are available within the suite of Strategic Performance Indicators for the police, relating to domestic violence incidents" notified by police forces in England and Wales, however this is whether or
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not they are subsequently recorded as crimes. The British Crime Survey (BCS) routinely provides information on the number of incidents of domestic violence against men and women (but not on the actual number of victims), but this is not broken down by age (see the following table). The 2003–04 BCS estimated that there were, in total, 298,000 incidents of domestic violence against women in England and Wales, and 150,000 against men. The number of incidents of domestic violence as measured by the BCS has decreased by 42 per cent. from 1999 to 2003–04 BCS interviews. The BCS figures are estimates only. As they are derived from a sample they are subject to sampling error, also the context of the face-to-face BCS interview means the estimates are certain to be underestimates of the true extent due to the fact that some respondents may be unwilling to reveal experience of domestic violence to interviewers. To address this, self-completion components for those aged 16–59 on domestic violence have been included in the 1996, 2001, 2004–05, and 2005–06 BCS. Results from the 2001 BCS self-completion module on domestic violence were published in Home Office Research Study No. 276, deposited in the Library. This more confidential approach to measurement, revealed prevalence (percentage of population victim at least once) rates for last year domestic assault that were approximately five times higher than in the main face-to-face BCS. This report also provides the prevalence risk of domestic violence for men and women by age group (Table 5.12). This showed that risk of victimisation generally decreased with age, for both men and women.
| 1999 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 560 | 514 | 366 | 298 |
| Men | 194 | 122 | 135 | 150 |
Source:
2000, 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 British Crime Surveys
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women have been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of assault involving domestic violence in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what proportion were given a custodial sentence in each year. [6598]
Hazel Blears
[holding answer 23 June 2005]: Statistics on the number of persons charged with an offence are not collected centrally. Offences involving domestic violence are not identifiable on the Home Office Court Proceedings database as no specific statute covers such offences. Prosecutions brought might range from common assault to homicide depending on the level of violence, and as the circumstances of the offences for which prosecutions are brought are not collected centrally, offences involving domestic violence cannot be distinguished from other offences within these categories. However, we have now developed a new Key Diagnostic Indicator with the Crown Prosecution Service that will complement the new Compass Case Management System, to track domestic violence cases. This new indicator was implemented in April 2005.
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Drugs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to tackle the sale of drugs (a) on streets and (b) in nightclubs. [8539]
Paul Goggins: The Government's strategy is to intervene at all points in the drug supply chain. To this end it—has established a framework within which the police and other enforcement agencies deal with drugs supply, through the National Drugs Strategy, the National Policing Plan and the Police Performance Assessment Framework—has provided record funding to police forces to enable them to carry out their responsibilities. Expenditure on policing supported by Government grant or spent centrally on services for the police has increased by 39 per cent. or over £3 billion between 2000–01 and 2005–06—plans to spend £1.5 billion in support of the National Drugs Strategy in 2005–06—has created the Serious Organised Crime Agency to tackle organised and sophisticated criminal gangs who supply street dealers, and has put in place, through the Drugs Act 2005, additional powers to make it even more difficult for street dealers to avoid justice. Additionally the Government, in partnership with ACPO and others, actively promote best practice in policing drugs markets including issuing guidance for club owners and local authority licensing departments on drugs and nightclubs.
Engagements
Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Minister for Immigration's official engagements are for Thursday 30 June. [8336]
Mr. McNulty: I had several official engagements with ministerial colleagues and others on Thursday 30 June.
Firearms Offences
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of offences under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 for carrying a replica or imitation firearm, broken down by (a) year and (b) police authority; and what the average sentence given for this offence was. [6902]
Hazel Blears [holding answer 30 June 2005]: Offences under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, section 37 came into force on 20 January 2004. Statistics of court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will introduce a statutory definition of lethality in firearms legislation in relation to the definition of a firearm as a lethal-barrelled weapon; [8677]
(2) if he will introduce a limit of one joule of muzzle energy as the statutory limit to which firearms legislation should apply; [8678]
(3) when the Government's response to the Home Office Firearms Consultation 2004 will be published; and if he will ensure that future firearms legislation is based on its findings. [8679]
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Hazel Blears: We received around 4,500 responses to the consultation paper on firearms controls. These have all been read and analysed and we are considering how we want to proceed. A summary of responses will be published. The need for a statutory definition of lethality linked to one joule of muzzle energy, or any other changes, will be considered in this context.
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