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9 July 2007 : Column 1319W—continued

Drug-related Crime

20. Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures to combat drug-related crime. [147923]

Mr. Coaker: Recorded acquisitive crime—to which drug-related crime makes a significant contribution—has fallen by 20 per cent. since the onset of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) and DIP is now getting, on average, over 3x500 drug misusing offenders into drug treatment each month.

Completion rates for Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) and Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRRs) have risen significantly from 28 per cent. in 2003 to 44 per cent. in 2006-07. We know that offenders who complete these orders have significantly lower reconviction rates (53 per cent.) than those who do not (91 per cent.). Research findings also show a reduction of up to 10 per cent. in re-offending rates of those engaging in prison treatment, providing there is relevant aftercare provision.

Police: East Midlands

21. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has
9 July 2007 : Column 1320W
received on the level of funding for police authorities in the East Midlands region. [147924]

Mr. McNulty: A number of police authorities and police forces in the East Midlands, as well as several hon. Members, have made representations.

Police forces in the East Midlands, like all forces in England and Wales, have benefited from sustained increases in funding over the past decade.

Respect Taskforce

22. Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the work of the Respect Taskforce on reducing antisocial behaviour. [147925]

Jacqui Smith: I have had no formal discussions with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families prior to 28 June, when, following machinery of Government changes the new Department for Children, Schools and Families assumed responsibility for the Respect Task Force.

Databases: Vandalism

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the merits of creating a national database of incidents of graffiti dealt with by local authorities. [147991]

Mr. Coaker [holding answer 9 July 2007]: A national database of graffiti incidents currently exists and is maintained by the British Transport Police and Transport for London. The images held on the database are uploaded by authorised practitioners, such as police officers and local authority officers who can access the database free of charge. The purpose is not to act as either an intelligence or crime recording system but to facilitate communication between partnership agencies that have an interest in sharing information relating to graffiti. My Department is in discussions with the British Transport Police regarding the effectiveness of the current system.

Police Interrogation: Interpreters

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has (a) asked for and (b) received any estimate of the total cost of providing translation facilities in police stations for people being interviewed. [148262]

Mr. McNulty: Code C issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 provides that chief officers of each police force are responsible for making sure that appropriate arrangements are in place for provision of suitably qualified interpreters for people who are deaf or who do not understand English. Information is not collated centrally on the cost of these arrangements.

A survey of nine forces carried out in December 2006 by the Office of Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) showed that some forces do not compile separate records of the costs so no estimate of the total cost is
9 July 2007 : Column 1321W
available. However, the Metropolitan police do keep detailed records and their annual costs amounted to £8.8 million in 2005-06. OCJR

estimate that the Metropolitan police accounts for about half of the national spend on interpreters.

Police: Airports

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the funding of airport policing. [147692]

Mr. McNulty: The funding of uniformed police at airports was examined last year by an independent review. Since that time both the Home Office and the Department for Transport have been working with representatives from airport operators, ACPO and the police authorities to develop an agreed way forward on the basis of that review’s analysis and recommendations.

Police: Complaints

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider the merits of his Department compiling and publishing statistics on police complaints in conjunction with the Independent Police Complaints Commission. [146575]

Mr. McNulty: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has responsibility for the operation of police complaints system and the publication of statistics relating to police complaints. Arrangements for the collection and publication of complaint statistics work well and there are no plans to change them. The IPCC publishes data on police complaints in its annual reports laid before Parliament by the Secretary of State.

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1514W, on police: complaints, if he will make a statement on his meeting with the Independent Police Complaints Commission in March 2007, with particular reference to complaints statistics; and if he will place the minutes of the meeting in the Library. [146693]

Mr. McNulty: The meeting was part of a visit to the IPCC and no minutes were kept.

Police: Driving Offences

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued to police forces on the prosecution of police drivers who are caught speeding when not on an emergency call; and if she will make a statement. [147777]

Jacqui Smith: Under section 87 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 a vehicle is exempt from speed limits if it is being used for a police purpose and if observance of a limit would hinder that purpose. “Police purpose” is not defined and is therefore not
9 July 2007 : Column 1322W
necessarily restricted to emergency responses. Whether or not to rely on section 87 in any particular case is a decision for the police.

Guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers is that generally no action should be taken when a vehicle is detected speeding if it is using its blue emergency lights. If it is not, the case should be investigated. If the exemption is claimed and there is no evidence to challenge the claim, it should be accepted as valid and no further action taken. If the exemption is not claimed, the case should be processed as normal. If, in the event of a prosecution, the defendant claims the exemption, it will be for the court to decide if the claim is valid.

Police: Driving Under Influence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in each police force were (a) prosecuted, (b) disciplined and (c) dismissed for drink driving related offences in each of the last three years. [147403]

Mr. McNulty: This information is not collected by the Home Office.

Police: Health

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007, Official Report, column 1967W, on police health, when he expects the Police Advisory Board for England and Wales working group to publish its findings on national fitness standards for police officers. [146692]

Mr. McNulty: The Police Advisory Board for England and Wales (PAB EW) working group responsible for looking into police fitness standards is currently planning its programme of work—so it is difficult to say exactly when this will be completed. However, I expect the group to report to Ministers on at least one of the specialist police roles sometime in 2008.

The PAB EW advises Ministers on policing matters and a Government position is arrived at on the basis of that advice.

Police: Labour Turnover

Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers left each police force in each year since 2001 due to (a) retirement, (b) resignation, (c) transfer to another force and (d) other reasons. [147894]

Mr. McNulty: The available data are from 2002-03 onwards and are given in the tables.

Details on the number of police officer leavers (including those officers transferring to other forces but not those returning after a period of secondment) are published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series “Police Service Strength, England and Wales.” The latest available bulletin is available for download from:


9 July 2007 : Column 1323W

9 July 2007 : Column 1324W
Police officer leavers( 1) by police force area (FTE)( 2) from 2002-03 to 2005-06( 3,4)
2002-03( 5) 2003-04
Retirements Resignations Transfers Other( 6) Retirements Resignations Transfers Other

Avon and Somerset

31

11

12

2

67

52

17

5

Bedfordshire

21

22

18

3

27

39

37

1

Cambridgeshire

34

22

26

6

40

23

30

2

Cheshire

73

10

7

3

60

21

18

1

Cleveland

32

3

8

5

43

23

8

3

Cumbria

30

9

6

2

32

11

3

1

Derbyshire

55

14

6

5

52

21

3

5

Devon and Cornwall

72

22

12

9

36

13

8

4

Dorset

33

11

7

3

43

18

10

1

Durham

10

4

3

0

39

19

18

1

Dyfed-Powys

6

5

1

2

22

9

6

1

Essex

17

12

34

87

36

76

5

Gloucestershire

12

10

4

23

16

15

2

Greater Manchester

57

43

16

6

140

126

52

13

Gwent

15

1

3

1

48

15

10

0

Hampshire

101

35

34

4

109

68

47

6

Hertfordshire

33

28

65

4

47

56

51

5

Humberside

28

20

5

1

47

29

18

4

Kent

78

37

47

2

86

72

66

3

Lancashire

76

17

12

7

79

28

11

8

Leicestershire

45

20

33

2

32

35

13

1

Lincolnshire

32

10

5

0

33

16

9

3

London, City of

16

19

11

3

26

12

18

0

Merseyside

114

22

7

5

105

34

18

9

Metropolitan Police

429

453

322

39

578

552

388

33

Norfolk

48

9

6

1

32

10

5

2

Northamptonshire

15

9

11

1

29

26

16

3

Northumbria

78

35

12

6

97

29

20

9

North Wales

21

7

0

0

23

22

3

0

North Yorkshire

25

11

3

1

34

15

10

3

Nottinghamshire

32

12

14

1

73

13

28

2

South Wales

67

20

6

3

108

21

10

8

South Yorkshire

72

36

13

4

101

46

13

2

Staffordshire

19

7

3

2

55

27

9

8

Suffolk

32

14

15

1

36

28

8

3

Surrey

48

27

134

0

44

34

59

8

Sussex

41

35

32

1

88

124

68

7

Thames Valley

99

64

129

7

108

71

134

3

Warwickshire

18

14

7

1

26

19

8

3

West Mercia

59

18

9

2

61

27

19

6

West Midlands

142

89

155

16

108

107

100

5

West Yorkshire

124

34

14

7

101

46

19

12

Wiltshire

36

18

11

4

28

18

14

3


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