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20 July 2006 : Column 606W—continued

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many under 18-year-olds were convicted of illegally carrying (a) knives and (b) other weapons in each year since 1990, broken down by police authority; and if he will make a statement. [77481]

Mr. Coaker: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of under 18-year-olds found guilty for selected offences relating to the illegal possession and carrying of knives and other weapons are provided in the following table (which will be placed in the Library).

Data for offence code 827 for West Mercia police force area include some coding errors between the years 2000 and 2004 and have been excluded from the table.

20 July 2006 : Column 607W

Figures for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.

20 July 2006 : Column 608W

Defendants found guilty at all courts for selected offences related to the illegal carrying of knives, guns and other weapons, by police force area, England and Wales, 2004
	Offences
Police force area	514-516	517-519	813-815	816-818	823-825	81	826	827	811	828
Avon and Somerset	—	—	1	1	—	4	28	—	14	1
Bedfordshire	—	—	—	—	1	2	6	1	15	—
Cambridgeshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	6	—	6	—
Cheshire	—	—	—	—	—	4	9	—	22	—
Cleveland	—	—	—	—	1	—	11	1	16	—
Cumbria	—	—	—	—	—	—	8	—	5	—
Derbyshire	—	—	—	—	1	10	17	—	13	—
Devon and Cornwall	—	—	—	—	3	6	17	—	13	1
Dorset	—	—	—	—	—	2	6	—	6	—
Durham	—	—	—	—	1	3	19	—	16	—
Essex	—	—	—	1	—	4	44	1	41	2
Gloucestershire	—	—	1	—	—	2	8	—	7	—
Greater Manchester	1	—	3	—	16	14	68	—	72	2
Hampshire	—	—	—	—	5	4	42	2	30	2
Hertfordshire	—	—	—	—	—	2	20	—	17	—
Humberside	—	—	—	3	2	2	13	1	22	—
Kent	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	26	—
Lancashire	—	—	—	—	2	2	35	4	32	2
Leicestershire	—	—	—	—	—	3	17	1	21	—
Lincolnshire	—	—	—	—	2	—	6	1	14	—
London, City of	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Merseyside	—	—	—	3	5	7	29	1	39	—
Metropolitan police	—	—	5	4	7	48	234	5	304	3
Norfolk	—	—	—	—	—	—	9	—	11	—
Northampton	—	—	—	—	—	1	13	—	8	—
Northumbria	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	4	—
North Yorkshire	—	—	2	—	4	5	54	3	57	4
Nottinghamshire	—	—	—	1	4	4	20	—	27	—
South Yorkshire	1	—	1	—	6	4	17	1	27	—
Staffordshire	—	—	1	—	—	3	10	1	23	1
Suffolk	—	—	—	—	1	3	13	—	4	—
Surrey	2	—	—	—	—	1	10	—	9	—
Sussex	—	—	—	1	2	2	23	—	24	—
Thames Valley	—	—	—	—	—	2	17	1	13	—
Warwickshire	—	—	—	—	1	—	4	1	8	—
West Mercia	—	—	—	—	2	2	3	—	11	—
West Midlands	—	1	1	4	4	5	66	1	73	—
West Yorkshire	2	—	2	1	3	10	44	—	55	—
Wiltshire	—	—	—	—	—	2	10	—	7	—
Dyfed Powys	—	—	—	—	—	1	3	—	6	—
Gwent	1	—	—	—	1	1	10	1	16	—
North Wales	—	—	—	—	—	3	7	—	13	—
South Wales	—	—	—	—	6	3	15	—	34	—
England and Wales	7	1	17	19	81	171	992	27	1,181	18

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