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29 Oct 2007 : Column 916W—continued

Citizens Juries

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens' juries were arranged for (a) her Department and (b) her Department's agencies in each year since 1997; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens' jury; and what the cost was of each. [160016]

Mr. McNulty: Data from 1997 are not readily available and would require a significant review of all engagement activities and analysis of the techniques used, extracting costs for citizens' juries at a disproportionate cost.

Control Orders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2007, Official Report, column 786W, on control orders, how many of the seven individuals who have absconded have now been located and are under supervision. [160559]

Jacqui Smith: Finding individuals who have absconded is an operational matter for the police and investigations are ongoing. However, I can confirm that, as Parliament was informed in the WMS of 17 September 2007, an individual who absconded in May 2007 is currently on remand.

Crime Prevention: Bedfordshire

Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps Bedfordshire Police are taking to improve the level of service provided for vulnerable people; and if she will make a statement. [159692]

Mr. McNulty: Bedfordshire in common with all constabularies is always seeking to improve performance, and the Home Office and HMIC will continue to help Bedfordshire—and other forces—to address the issues highlighted in the assessments. The chief constable is
29 Oct 2007 : Column 917W
already addressing the issues raised by the assessment and has given her personal commitment to improving performance.

Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps Bedfordshire Police are taking to improve working with local partners and community stakeholders; and if she will make a statement. [159712]

Mr. McNulty: The improvements suggested by the review of the partnership provisions in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 contributed to a change in the legislation affecting partnerships. They were reflected in the Police and Justice Act 2006 and in subsequent regulations, which came into force on 1 August 2007. These include the introduction of minimum standards for partnership working and provisions to strengthen information sharing. The Home Office has also issued guidance to community safety partnerships to help them increase the effectiveness of partnership working. Each of these elements should further support Bedfordshire police work with local partners and community stakeholders.

Crime: Elderly

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged over 65 years have been victims of crime in the last five years, broken down by (a) type of crime, (b) age of victim and (c) location; and if she will make a statement. [160865]

Mr. McNulty: This information is not recorded separately within police recorded crime statistics. This data series does not contain any information relating to the victim and therefore, breakdowns by age are not possible.

The British Crime Survey (BCS) routinely provides information on the proportions of people who report having been victims of crime in the previous year, by crime type and age (and sex), but not by location. The BCS does not provide numbers of people who have been victims of crime by age.

Tables 1 and 2 show the proportion of people who had been victims of violence and theft from the person in the previous 12 months, for the last 5 years, for men aged 65-74, women 65-74, men aged 75 and over, and women aged 75 and over.

Tables 3 to 5 show the proportion of households who had been victims of burglary, vehicle-related theft and vandalism in the previous 12 months, for the last five years, for households with a household reference person aged 65-74 and 75 and over. The tables also show the average risk for all adults, for all years.


29 Oct 2007 : Column 918W
Table 1: All violence
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Percentage victims once or more

Men 65-74

1.3

0.6

0.4

0.5

0.8

Men 75+

0.4

0.2

0.2

0.3

0.5

Women 65-74

0.7

0.7

0.5

0.5

0.5

Women 75+

0.6

0.5

0.5

0.4

0.3

All adults

4.1

4.1

3.6

3.4

3.6

Note: Estimates for 2006/07 are not directly comparable with previous years due to revisions in the category—snatch theft is no longer included in all BCS violence. Source: British Crime Survey.

Table 2: All theft from the person
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Percentage victims once or more

Men 65-74

n/a

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.5

Men 75+

n/a

0

0.4

0.3

0

Women 65-74

n/a

1.3

1.1

1.5

1.1

Women 75+

n/a

1.3

0.9

1.3

1.2

All adults

1.5

1.4

1.2

1.2

1.2

Note: Figures by age not available for 2002-03. Source: British Crime Survey.

Table 3: All burglary
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Percentage victims once or more

Household reference person

(HRP)(1 )65-74

1.8

1.9

1.5

1.2

1.4

HRP 75+

1.9

1.8

1.6

1.5

1.2

All households

3.4

3.2

2.7

2.4

2.5

(1) Head of household. Source: British Crime Survey.

Table 4: All vehicle —related thefts
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Percentage victims once or more

Household reference person

(HRP)(1 )65-74

4.9

4.6

3.3

2.6

3.2

HRP 75+

3.6

2.3

2.6

2.6

2.2

All households

10.8

9.7

8.2

7.5

7.5

(1) Head of household. Note:
Based on vehicle-owing households. Source: British Crime Survey.

Table 5: All vandalism
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Percentage victims once or more

Household reference person

(HRP)(1) 65-74

n/a

5.0

4.4

4.6

5.3

HRP 75+

n/a

2.1

2.2

2.8

2.7

All households

7.3

7.1

7.1

7.6

7.9

(1) Head of household. Notes: 1. Based on vehicle-owning households. 2. Figures by age not available for 2002-03. Source: British Crime Survey.

29 Oct 2007 : Column 919W

Criminal Records Agency

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employer requests for information were received for people on the police criminal records database who have neither been convicted nor voluntarily accepted a police caution in 2006. [156689]

Meg Hillier: I am unable to confirm how many employer requests for information were received for people on the police criminal records database who have neither been convicted nor voluntarily accepted a police caution, because such data are not collated.

Criminal Records Bureau

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to ensure (a) that information kept by the Criminal Records Bureau is accurate and up-to-date and (b) that the documentary evidence to support such information is properly recorded. [154456]

Meg Hillier: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) operates a central database in order to record transactions that occur during the Disclosure process, where applicants' personal data provided on an application form are compared against information held by the police, the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Although the CRB has access to conviction and other information through this process, the police and the other data sources above are the data owners of material held on their respective databases and as such are responsible for the accuracy of information held thereon.

The CRB is fully committed to compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

The following principles apply when personal information is handled:

These principles apply whether information is held on paper or in electronic form.

The CRB relies on the police and the other data sources to maintain accurate and up-to-date records as part of those organisations' own obligations under the Data Protection Act.


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