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15 Oct 2009 : Column 1052W—continued

Antisocial Behaviour

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the use of Mosquito ultrasonic deterrent devices; and if he will make a statement. [292957]

Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 14 October 2009]: The Home Office has received the following representations about the use of the Mosquito ultrasonic dispersal device:

Of these, six were concerned that the device might breach a person's human rights and three were concerned with the legality of the device. Other questions and correspondence received referred to the use of the device and whether the Home Office will ban the device or provide guidance.

The Home Office encourages local agencies to consider the full range of innovations, schemes and practices intended to reduce crime, the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour. It is for local agencies like the police and local authorities to decide on the most appropriate interventions to tackle antisocial behaviour based on their knowledge of what works best locally, adopting a tiered approach to tackling antisocial behaviour using a blend of measures to provide a proportionate response.


15 Oct 2009 : Column 1053W

The Home Office does not recommend or promote any commercial ultrasonic dispersal device or venture and at the present time does not have any plans to take further action on this matter.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in England in the last three years. [292226]

Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 14 October 2009]: Information on the number of Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) issued is available up to 31 December 2007. The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in England during 2005 was 3,907, in 2006 2,507 and in 2007 2,136, making a total of 8,550.

Departmental Training

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each course. [289604]

Mr. Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: Pakistan

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest period has been between the (a) application for and (b) issue or refusal of a UK visa in Pakistan; and on what date the successful appeal against refusal of that visa was concluded. [292367]


15 Oct 2009 : Column 1054W

Mr. Woolas: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) holds records of visa applications dating back to 1992 but it is not possible to ascertain precisely the processing times for older cases. Therefore, the UKBA has examined applications made in Pakistan since January 2006.

The longest processing time from application to decision was 917 working days in respect of a family reunion application. The application was issued and hence there was no subsequent appeal.

Current processing times are advertised on the Visa Services website at:

Firearms

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firearm offences, excluding those in which an air weapon was used, were recorded in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 1998-99. [291776]

Alan Johnson: Available data relate to offences recorded in the period 1998-99 up to and including 2007-08, and are shown in the following table. Firearm statistics for 2008-09 are expected to be published in January 2010.

Firearms are taken to be involved in a crime if they are fired, used as a blunt instrument against a person, or used as a threat.

The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Data for the years up to and including 2001-02 are not directly comparable with those for later years.


15 Oct 2009 : Column 1055W

15 Oct 2009 : Column 1056W
Crimes recorded by the police in which firearms (including air weapons) were reported to have been used( 1) by region and police force area: England and Wales, 1998-99 to 2007-08
Recorded crime
Total number of offences
Police force area 1998-99( 2) 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02( 3) 2002-03( 4) 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

North East Region

Cleveland

20

26

16

24

18

45

37

41

19

15

Durham

13

40

18

19

16

15

21

18

14

45

Northumbria

76

107

99

86

103

169

182

137

111

78

North West Region

Cheshire

32

22

44

50

31

44

61

71

41

59

Cumbria

11

5

13

9

13

11

26

18

21

18

Greater Manchester

647

875

935

1,361

1,240

1,275

1,268

1,200

993

1,160

Lancashire

50

78

59

103

66

58

259

372

364

349

Merseyside

286

240

278

299

318

483

491

485

410

398

Yorkshire and the Humber Region

Humberside

76

61

69

63

68

68

174

108

117

58

North Yorkshire

11

8

9

28

18

23

13

15

14

17

South Yorkshire

75

114

129

170

153

127

185

301

211

202

West Yorkshire

193

191

335

332

333

269

318

355

319

332

East Midlands Region

Derbyshire

52

65

72

58

73

75

149

109

83

70

Leicestershire

98

71

58

74

174

141

123

89

109

134

Lincolnshire

16

19

24

22

37

26

90

72

45

41

Northamptonshire

54

48

40

55

107

123

113

128

159

164

Nottinghamshire

111

173

157

204

264

233

303

277

196

240

West Midlands Region

Staffordshire

23

53

108

116

131

108

144

128

94

123

Warwickshire

20

14

39

53

62

102

73

80

90

107

West Mercia

38

36

41

54

48

62

151

115

58

124

West Midlands

408

664

817

1,288

1,101

1,138

959

946

979

974

East of England Region

Bedfordshire

46

56

48

82

86

89

94

103

86

83

Cambridgeshire

35

43

31

49

57

34

50

34

24

30

Essex

47

61

77

98

148

145

193

280

255

260

Hertfordshire

30

36

36

69

139

138

139

114

89

112

Norfolk

34

24

20

26

36

33

23

29

34

43

Suffolk

15

18

22

15

28

45

59

58

42

38

London Region( 5)

2,034

2,945

3,036

4,199

4,202

3,891

3,697

3,884

3,331

3399

South East Region

Hampshire

38

52

49

58

97

130

148

85

122

100

Kent

76

109

108

60

64

65

100

142

92

82

Surrey

35

42

52

40

34

88

63

87

60

70

Sussex

115

119

110

155

136

82

67

85

84

69

Thames Valley

96

107

198

267

362

421

437

401

332

322

South West Region

Avon and Somerset

71

103

100

131

119

123

196

167

138

116

Devon and Cornwall

75

81

64

52

36

84

189

174

132

111

Dorset

11

12

14

34

17

45

49

27

28

21

Gloucestershire

22

21

23

89

92

108

87

77

65

43

Wiltshire

19

10

13

26

60

53

49

43

69

49

Wales

Dyfed Powys

16

13

26

26

17

37

40

21

17

25

Gwent

26

19

11

18

52

74

85

53

33

47

North Wales

27

10

6

6

18

11

60

88

98

53

South Wales

31

52

67

56

74

47

104

71

67

84

England and Wales

5,209

6,843

7,471

10,024

10,248

10,338

11,069

11,088

9,645

9,865

England and Wales

3,175

3,898

4,435

5,825

6,046

6,447

7,372

7,204

6,314

6,466

(excluding London Region)

(1) Firearms are taken to be involved in a crime if they are fired, used as a blunt instrument against a person or used as a threat.
(2) There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998.
(3) Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002.
(4) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002, which may have resulted in inflated figures for some crime categories. Figures before and after this date are not directly comparable.
(5) City of London and Metropolitan police force areas.

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