| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Jan 2009 : Column 96W—continued
Offensive Weapons
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) prosecuted, (b) convicted of knife possession and (c) sentenced to prison for knife possession between (i) June and October 2008 and (ii) June and October 2007. [241863]
Mr. Coaker: Data showing the number of people proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and given a custodial sentence at all courts for knife possession, from 1 June 2006 to 31 October 2006 and from 1 June 2007 to 31 October 2007 in England and Wales, are in the following table. Data for 2008 are due to be available in the autumn of 2009.
The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
Information on knife crime has also been published on 22 January 2009 as part of the quarterly crime statistical bulletin.
| Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and given immediate custody at all courts, for knife possession( 1) , England and Wales for the periods 1 June 2006 to 31 October 2006 and 1 June 2007 to 31 October 2007( 2, 3, 4) | ||
| 2007 | 2006 | |
| (1 )Includes the following offences and statutes; Having an article with blade or point in public place—Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (1)(5)(a) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.4(1). Having an article with blade or point on school premises—Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (2)(5)(b) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.4(1). (2 )The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3 )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. Source: E & A Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform. | ||
Offensive Weapons: Young People
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were (a) cautioned and (b) prosecuted for attempting to purchase a knife under age in each of the last 10 years; [248640]
(2) how many people were (a) cautioned and (b) prosecuted for selling a knife to a young person under age in each of the last 10 years. [248641]
Mr. Alan Campbell:
Data provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of persons cautioned and proceeded against for selling a knife or other article
with a blade to a young person under age in England and Wales from 1998 to 2007 (latest available) are given in the following table.
The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
It is not an offence to ‘attempt to purchase a knife under age’—therefore no data can be supplied.
| Number of offenders cautioned( 1) and defendants proceeded against for selling a knife or other article with a blade to a young person under age, England and Wales, 1998 to 2007( 2, 3) | ||||||||||
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| (1) From 1 June 2000, the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time, the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3) 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. Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit, Office for Criminal Justice Reform. | ||||||||||
Organised Crime: Databases
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the European database of dangerous offenders to prevent homicide associated with organised crime is expected to be operational; and what funding her Department has allocated to the database. [246853]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Work is ongoing to reach an agreed position with EU member states. No funding has been allocated by the Home Office.
Police and Community Support Officers: Crosby
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers there were in Crosby in each year since 1997. [251464]
Mr. Coaker: The available data for the Basic Command Unit of Sefton are given in the following table. Data are not collected by parliamentary constituency.
| Police officer and police community support officer strength (FTE)( 1) for the Basic Command Unit( 2) of Sefton as at 31 March in the given years | ||
| Police officers | PCSOs( 3) | |
| (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Data by BCU were first collected in 2002-03. (3) Police community support officer data at BCU level were first collected in 2006-07. | ||
Police: Standards
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to her statement of 4 December 2008 on police targets, Official Report, column 158, which targets have been removed. [250109]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 22 January 2009]: The Policing Green Paper—From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing Our Communities Together—stated that
“with one exception the Home Office will neither set nor maintain top-down numerical targets for individual police forces—a significant gesture of trust and reduction of bureaucracy.”
The Government have already removed the targets for the police that concerned frontline officers the most, such as the target to bring more offences to justice. Following the Green Paper announcement, the Government have removed centrally set, top-down targets for police forces relating to efficiency, and the 10-year race employment targets come to an end at 31 March 2009, when a final report against a centrally set progression target will also be made.
Going forward, we will expect police authorities to set their own local targets on these issues.
The Government have also set multi-agency targets for Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs) for 2008-09 on enforcement (including fail to appear (FTA) warrant enforcement, community penalty breach enforcement and licence recall), asset recovery and the Persistent Young Offender pledge. LCJBs are multi-agency partnerships which include the police, and LCJBs' targets measure jointly the performance of the police and their partner agencies. In response to the Policing Green Paper, there will be no top-down numerical targets for
LCJBs for 2009-10. Instead, LCJBs have been asked to set their own local targets according to local priorities and circumstances.
The one remaining target the Government will set for police forces will be on confidence that they and their partners are tackling the crime and antisocial behaviour issues that matter most locally.
Proceeds of Crime: Terrorism
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse of operating the suspicious activity reports regime has been since its creation. [247622]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 14 January 2009]: Suspicious activity reports (SARs) are submitted to the UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). Approximately £20,080,465 has been spent on the operation of the UKFIU since April 2006, when SOCA assumed responsibility for it. This figure includes the running costs of the SARs Transformation Project, an IT-enabled business change project focused entirely on improving the SARs regime.
In addition, the overhead costs associated with running estates and IT for the UKFIU in 2008 was approximately £1,280,000.
Prostitution
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department's definition of a prostitute working for another person's gain applies where the other person is (a) a receptionist, (b) also working as a prostitute, (c) working as a prostitute on the same premises, (d) a partner or a flatmate who shares premises with the prostitute woman or man, (e) a landlord letting the premises where the prostitute woman or man is working and (f) a dependant. [244923]
Mr. Alan Campbell: We announced our intention to include the offence of paying for sexual services of a prostitute controlled for gain in the Policing and Crime Bill. An explanation of the intended application of this offence will be given during the passage of this Bill.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department's definition of a prostitute working for another person's gain applies in circumstances where the prostitute has entered into a working relationship with another person in the absence of force or coercion. [244924]
Mr. Alan Campbell: We have included the offence of paying for sexual services of a prostitute controlled for gain in the Policing and Crime Bill, which was introduced on 18 December. An explanation of the intended application of this offence will be given during the passage of this Bill.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department has (a) undertaken, (b) commissioned and (c) evaluated on the average age at which people first enter prostitution; and if she will place in the Library a copy of each such piece of research. [247521]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Government's consultation paper on prostitution, “Paying the Price”, provides a summary of research on the age of first involvement in prostitution. This paper is available at:
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what services and schemes are available to people working as prostitutes to assist them with (a) housing, (b) poverty, (c) childcare, (d) drug addiction and (e) health care; how much is planned to be spent on each such service or scheme in 2008-09; and if she will make a statement. [247528]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Support for individuals in relation to these issues is the responsibility of appropriate local agencies and funding is devolved accordingly.
To support local partnerships the Home Office has produced specific guidance for criminal justice integrated teams to assist in improving the engagement of those individuals with a Class A drug problem involved in prostitution, and to help develop effective working practices with specialist projects.
As part of the co-ordinated prostitution strategy the Government will develop guidance for local areas on commissioning services for those involved in prostitution.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what schemes and services are available to people working as prostitutes to assist them in reporting incidents of violence and abuse. [247529]
Mr. Alan Campbell: We have expanded the range of services supporting victims of sexual violence including those involved in prostitution, through the development of sexual assault referral centres (SARCS), and independent sexual violence advisers (26 SARCS are now up and running, with one in every police force area planned by 2011). In order to implement one of the recommendations of the Tackling Demand Review, and a key action of the Government's Co-ordinated Prostitution Strategy we will be developing comprehensive guidance, including on advocacy services to support women in prostitution who become victims of serious violent and sexual crime.
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) prosecuted and (c) convicted for incidents of prostitution-related activity in each of the last five years; [248013]
(2) how many people have been (a) arrested for, (b) prosecuted in respect of and (c) convicted of offences of controlling prostitution for gain in each of the last five years; [248014]
(3) how many people have been (a) arrested for, (b) prosecuted in respect of and (c) convicted of offences relating to loitering or soliciting for purposes of prostitution in each of the last five years; [248025]
(4) how many people have been (a) arrested for, (b) prosecuted in respect of and (c) convicted of kerb-crawling in each of the last five years; [248036]
(5) how many people have been (a) arrested for, (b) prosecuted in respect of and (c) convicted of brothel-keeping in each of the last five years. [248037]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The information requested on arrests is not available.
The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person, burglary, robbery and sexual offences. From these centrally reported data we are not able to identify specific offences from within the main offence groups.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |