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6 Feb 2006 : Column 928W—continued
Cash-in-transit Crime
Mr. McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2006, Official Report, column 1422W, on cash-in-transit crime what criteria are used when assessing the (a) harm and (b) the impact that the Serious Organised Crime Agency can make by preventing them. [47288]
Paul Goggins: The Home Office assesses the overall harm caused by different types of crime as described in the White Paper One Step Ahead—A 21st Century Strategy to Defeat Organised Crime". In assessing the impact of its own activity, SOCA will apply a range of qualitative and quantitative criteria, drawing on the Home Office work on harm and its own developing understanding of the threat from different forms of organised crime. It will consider the capacity, capability and intent of criminals and their enterprises and seek to contribute to harm reduction through disrupting their activities, reducing profit incentives, and increasing the risks they take.
Cautions and Convictions (Notification)
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which (a) professional bodies and (b) Government Departments police are required to notify of the (i) convictions and (ii) cautions of members of their relevant professions; [47126]
(2) how many (a) cautions and (b) convictions were reported by the police to his Department, in accordance with Annex A, Schedule 2 of Home Office Circular 45/86, in each year since 1997. [47476]
Hazel Blears: In accordance with paragraphs 11 and 12 of Home Office Circular 45/86 the police are requested to notify details of convictions and cautions as set out in Schedule 2 of the annex to the circular. A copy of Schedule 2 has been placed in the Library.
These arrangements are currently under review.
With regard to the number of convictions and cautions reported by the police HOC45/86 does not require this information to be reported to the Home Office.
Child Abuse
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers the police have to place a person found guilty of a sexual offence against a child committed prior to the commencement of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 on the register of sexual offenders; and if he will make a statement. [42236]
Hazel Blears:
The notification requirements of Part two of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (which are known as the sex offenders register) automatically apply to all offenders who have received a conviction, caution or finding for a relevant sexual offence from 1 September 1997. The Act also includes a partially
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retrospective operation so that for convictions for relevant offences received before 1 September 1997 an offender will become subject to the notification requirements if he was awaiting sentence or serving his sentence on that date. The 2003 Act also introduced sexual offences prevention orders (SOPOs) which are made by a court in respect of any offender who poses a risk of serious sexual harm and who has received a conviction or caution for a sexual or violent offence (listed in Schedule three or five to the Act). SOPOs are used to impose prohibitions on an offender but also make him subject to the notification requirements for the duration of the order. SOPOs can be made regardless of when the conviction or caution for the qualifying offence was received. It is the case that Schedule three does not include those offences which pre-date the Sexual Offences Act 1956 and this means that if an individual's most recent sexual offence was committed 50 years ago and he has not since committed a violent offence, then it would not be possible to make him subject to a SOPO and therefore subject to the notification requirements. However, if such an individual posed a risk of harm to children, then it would still be possible for a court to make a risk of sexual harm order (RSHO) and if an offender breaches the prohibitions in a RSHO, then he automatically becomes subject to the notification requirements for the duration of the order.
Child Rescue Alert Scheme
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department plans to extend across England the Child Rescue Alert text messaging scheme operated by Sussex Police. [42582]
Hazel Blears:
Child Rescue Alert has currently been adopted by four police forces (Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Leicester) and it is hoped that a basic system will be in place for nationwide cover by the end of March this year. The scheme works by interrupting television and radio programmes with immediate news flashes that a youngster has been snatched and is at risk of serious harm or death. There are no plans to use text messaging as part of the alert.
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Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of mobile location data tracking systems in enabling parents to locate their children; and if he will make a statement. [42583]
Hazel Blears: The Police Service is already actively using mobile location-based technologies in the investigation of some missing persons cases. Mobile data tracking can identify the geographical area in which a phone is located. This is used by the police under a regulation of Investigatory Powers Act authority in specified cases that are legally appropriate. I am not aware of how many times, if at all, the private sector scheme has been used by parents.
Citizens' Arrests
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens' arrests were made in each of the last five years. [47547]
Hazel Blears: The information requested is not available centrally.
Circuses (Alcohol-related Incidents)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol-related incidents connected to circuses have been recorded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [49135]
Paul Goggins: This information is not available centrally from the recorded crime database. The British Crime Survey routinely provides information on whether the victims of violent incidents thought that one or more of the offenders were under the influence of drink".
The BCS also routinely provides information on the location of crime-related incidents. Information on the location of violent incidents, by whether the offender was thought to be under the influence of alcohol has also been provided for 2004–05 BCS data.
The number or proportion of other crime related incidents where the offender was thought be under the influence of alcohol has not been estimated. The BCS does not collect information on incidents that have occurred in or are connected to circuses.
The available information since 1999 is included in the tables.
| 1999 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Around the home | 24 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 23 |
| Around work | 17 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Street | 24 | 24 | 29 | 28 | 30 |
| Pub or club | 20 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| Transport | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Other location | 12 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 15 |
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Civil Servants
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of each civil service grade in his Department is located in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; what the average salary is for each grade; and if he will make a statement. [35909]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The number of civil service staff that are located in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK and the average salary for each grade is shown in the following table.
For the SCS, the progression target rates for their grades are as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| PB1 (G5) | 76,156 |
| PB1 (G3) | 101,905 |
| PB3 (G2) | 132,586 |
Note:
Locations blocked or new, are either in the process of being set up, or unrecorded for security reasons.
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