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19 Mar 2008 : Column 1246W—continued
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there were of retailers for selling alcohol to persons under 18 years old for consumption off the premises in 2006. [186319]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 18 February 2008]: Data showing the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty of the sale of alcohol to a person under 18 and allowing sale of alcohol to a person under 18 are in the following table. My Department cannot completely differentiate between sales made on the premises from sales made off the premises, as data are not held to the level required. However data have been excluded in relation to on-premises in cases where it has been identified.
| Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for the sale of alcohol and allowing sale of alcohol to a person under 18, England and Wales, 2006( 1,2,3) | |
| Number of defendants | |
| (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) My Department cannot completely differentiate between sales made on the premises from sales made off the premises, as data are not held to the level required. However data have been excluded in relation to on-premises in cases where it has been identified. Source: RDS-OCJR—Ministry of Justice | |
Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensees were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of selling alcohol to under-age drinkers in each of the last five years. [180810]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 21 January 2008]: The following table provides information on prosecutions and convictions for selling alcohol to persons under 18 years, in each of the last five years.
In addition to court proceedings, the offence of sale of alcohol to a person under 18 can attract a penalty notice for disorder (PND). The offence was added to the PND scheme on 1 November 2004, and there were 113 penalty notices issued for the offence in November and December of that year. Additionally, another 2,058 penalty notices were issued in 2005 and 3,195 were issued in 2006.
| Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for selling alcohol to under-age customers, England and Wales, 2002 to 2006( 1, 2, 3) | ||
| Proceeded against | Found guilty | |
| (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Covers the offences: Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises under the Licensing Act 1964 S.169 A and B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S.1, Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18 under the Licensing Act 1964 S.181 A(1) as added by Licensing Act 1988 S.17, Sale of alcohol to a person under 18 under the Licensing Act 2003 S.146 and Allowing Sale of alcohol to a person under 18 under the Licensing Act 2003 S.147. Sections 146 and 147 of the 2003 Licensing Act only came into effect from 24 November 2005. The first two offences cannot separately identify on and off premises consumption although both are covered by the statutes. Sources: RDS, Court proceedings database Office for Criminal Justice Reform Ministry of Justice. | ||
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many test purchases relating to the sale of alcohol to those under the age of 18 years were undertaken in England and Wales in each year since 1997; and how many prosecutions were brought as a result of such test purchase operations in each such year. [191800]
Mr. Coaker: Both the police and Trading Standards can routinely conduct test purchases locally in line with local operational priorities. These details are not centrally collated by the Home Office, so no records of all such test purchases are available.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the number of test purchases for the sale of alcohol to those under the age of 18 years.
Data held by the Ministry of Justice cannot separately identify “test purchases” or criminal proceedings brought before court as a result of “test purchase operations”.
The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for the offence ‘sale of alcohol to those aged under 18’ in England and Wales for the years 1997 to 2006 can be viewed in the following table.
In addition, under the Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) Scheme, fixed penalty notices of £80 may be issued by the police for the offence of sale of alcohol to those aged under 18; the offence was added to the scheme in November 2004. The number of PNDs issued for the offence in England and Wales was 113 in 2004; 2,058 in 2005; and 3,195 in 2006.
Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
Since 2004 the Home Office has co-ordinated a number of national alcohol enforcement campaigns which have included an element of, or have focused exclusively on test purchase activity.
Four national Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaigns (2004-06) included within them an element of test purchase activity. Subsequent Tackling Underage Sales Campaigns (2006-07) have focused exclusively on underage sales targeting perceived problem premises.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were fined for selling alcohol to under-age persons in each year since 1997; and what the average such fine was in each year. [191802]
Mr. Coaker: The requested information is contained in the following table.
Statistics for 2007 will be published in the autumn of 2008.
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many acceptable behaviour contracts have been issued in (a) Easington constituency and (b) the County of Durham since their introduction; and if she will make a statement. [194127]
Mr. Coaker: The information requested is not available.
Data on acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs) are not collected by the Home Office as they are voluntary agreements and therefore not suitable for central data collection. However, surveys carried out by the Home Office of the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) indicated that over 25,000 ABCs have been made since October 2003. The Home Office has issued updated and comprehensive guidance for practitioners on the use of ABCs.
Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Cornwall
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued in Cornwall since their introduction. [191933]
Mr. Coaker: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) became available from April 1999. The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in the Devon and Cornwall Criminal Justice System (CJS) area is 178 up to 31 December 2005 (latest available). We hope to publish soon data for the period up to the end of 2006.
Cocaine
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2008, Official Report, columns 377-8W, on cocaine, (1) how many of the premises defined as crack houses were also in use as residential dwellings at the point at which the closure order was issued; [189356]
(2) how many of the crackhouse closure orders were successfully enforced in each year for which figures are available. [189357]
Mr. Coaker: 722 crack house closure orders were successfully obtained since 1 October 2003 and up to March 2006. Information on crack houses which were in use as private dwellings is not available.
Crime Prevention: Lighting
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of street lighting in reducing (a) crime and (b) fear of crime. [193948]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office commissioned a systematic review of the impact of street lighting on levels of crime, published in 2002 as Home Office Research Study 251, “Effects of improved street lighting on crime: a systematic review”. A copy of the report can be accessed at:
The review by Professors David Farrington and Brandon Welsh summarises the findings of previous studies from both the USA and Britain on the effectiveness of improved street lighting on crime. The review found that improved street lighting led to significant reductions in crime (around 20 per cent. across all the studies reviewed). The review did not cover impact on fear of crime.
Crime: Darlington
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008, Official Report, columns 429-30W, on crime: Darlington, what the crime detection rates were for the South Durham basic command unit in the most recent period for which figures are available. [192864]
Mr. Coaker: The 2006-07 detection rates for the South Durham basic command unit are given in the following table.
It should be noted that non-sanction detections that contribute to the percentage change in detection rates have fallen in recent years reflecting a significant shift by many police forces away from recording detections of crime where no further action is taken. For this reason overall detections rates over time are not fully comparable. From 1 April 2007 the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very limited set of circumstances.
| Detection rates in the South Durham basic command unit—2006-07 | |
| Percentage | |
| Offence group | Detection rate |
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