| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
27 Oct 2005 : Column 532W—continued
Communication Data
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the option for a clearing house model is being considered in respect of the Acquisition and Disclosure of Communication Data Draft Code of Practice; whether such a model will be included in the revised draft; and if he will make a statement. [15780]
Mr. Charles Clarke: In pre-consultation on the revised draft Code of Practice for the acquisition and disclosure of communications data, under Chapter II of Part I of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, representations have been made to the Home Office by a commercial clearing house service that the revised draft Code of Practice should include an explicit reference that such a service may be used by public authorities. Those representations are being considered.
Community Support Officers
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers community support officers have; and what representations he has on increasing their powers. [20437]
Hazel Blears: A list of powers that can be designated to community support officers (CSOs) is available on the Home Office website at:
Presently the powers designated to CSOs vary from force to force and we are currently consulting with stakeholders on whether to establish a set of standard powers that all CSOs would have. The consultation paper can be found on the Home Office website at:
Counter-terrorism
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on EU co-operation on counter-terrorism. [17448]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Government believe that the European Union has an important role to play in the fight against terrorism. While the prime responsibility for protection of citizens remains a national one, effective co-operation by EU member states, supported by appropriate EU bodies, is a key part of our response to this threat.
Following the attacks in Madrid on 11 March 2004, the EU drafted an Action Plan to combat terrorism. This contained a list of measures for implementation at both an EU and national level. In the wake of the London bombings the 13 July Extraordinary JHA Council committed to accelerate delivery of outstanding proposals in the plan. This is a priority for the current UK presidency and we are on course to achieve a great deal. However, there is still much to do and the current Action Plan is due for replacement by the end of December.
We aim to deliver a revised and refreshed plan, together with a strategic framework that would give a greater sense of direction to EU counter-terrorism co-operation. The EU will continue to build on current achievements to maximise the effectiveness of its efforts.
Crime
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed on London Underground in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down by offence. [20115]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Statistics on crime on the London Underground are not collected by the Home Office.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) levels of and (b) detection rates for (i) violent crime, (ii) car crime, (iii) sexual crime, (iv) burglary and (v) robbery were in the Ribble Valley constituency in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [21160]
Hazel Blears:
The available information relates to the number of offences recorded for Ribble Valley Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP), and is given in the following table. The introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004 resulted in substantial changes to the sexual offences. In particular, the redefining of the offences of exposure into the sexual offences group resulted in substantial increases in this category nationally. Statistics on detections for Ribble Valley are not available.
27 Oct 2005 : Column 534W
(20) The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the rates for (a) mugging, (b) violent crime and (c) burglary in each ward in the Waverley borough council area in each of the last five years. [20842]
Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the crime detection rate for offences of (a) violence against the person, (b) sexual offences, (c) robberies, (d) burglaries and (e) theft of a vehicle was in the constituency of Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland. [18707]
Hazel Blears: Detection rates are recorded at basic command unit (BCU) level. Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland comes within the Middlesbrough BCU and the detection rates for the crimes requested are given in the table.
(21) The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the 20 wards with the (a) highest and (b) lowest crime rates for (i) mugging, (ii) violent crime and (iii) burglary. [20845]
Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Drunkenness (Kent)
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests have been made for drunk and disorderly behaviour in Kent in each year since 1997. [20085]
Hazel Blears:
The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.
27 Oct 2005 : Column 535W
Encounter Receipts Pilot Schemes
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities are operating pilot schemes of encounter receipts. [910]
Hazel Blears: We are not aware of any police authorities operating pilot schemes of encounter receipts.
Firearms Certificates
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken was by each police force to process applications for firearms certificates to police firearms licensing departments in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by police authority area. [21289]
Hazel Blears: This information is not collected centrally.
Gershon Review
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review. [21303]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Performance during 2004–05 was reported in my Department's Annual Report (Cm 6528); my Department's Autumn Performance Report will also describe performance against the value for money target.
Historical Sex Abuse Cases
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for the training of police officers in historical sex abuse cases. [20184]
Hazel Blears: The responsibility for the training of police officers in the investigation of historical child and adult sexual abuse cases is currently held by individual police forces. However there are a number of national programmes currently being developed by the National Centre for Policing Excellence, which is a business unit of Centrex, who are the main police training provider.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reforms have been made in response to the Home Affairs Committee's Report on historical sex abuse investigations in 2002. [20185]
Hazel Blears: Since 2002, guidance has been issued for the police on appropriate techniques for investigating allegations of historical child abuse. This is included in the "Senior Investigating Officer's Handbook—the Investigation of Historical/Institutional Child Abuse" produced by the Association of Chief Police Officers. This handbook is now being revised and we anticipate that a new draft will be presented to the Association of Chief Police Officers for their comments in April 2006.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued on the appropriate measures to be taken by agencies involved in historical sex abuse investigations to minimise the potential disruption to the alleged offender's private and professional life. [20199]
27 Oct 2005 : Column 536W
Hazel Blears: There is no guidance to the effect stated but I am confident that police officers involved in historic sex abuse investigations treat suspects with sensitivity and do whatever is .reasonable to minimise the disruption to the suspect's private and professional life. Those who are unhappy with the way they have been treated by the police have an avenue of complaint through the Chief Constable and the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |