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1 Dec 2009 : Column 677W—continued
| Defendants cautioned, proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced to a fine at all courts for offences under the 2004 Hunting Act by police force area, England and Wales 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) | ||||
| Number | ||||
| Police force area | Cautioned | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Given a court fine |
| (1) Only forces with data have been listed in the table. (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) 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 warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (4) The court proceedings 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. (5 )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. | ||||
Labour Migration
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the factors which affect levels of labour migration. [301400]
Mr. Woolas: There is a complex range of economic, social and policy factors that will influence levels of labour migration. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research published the results of research into the economic determinants of migration to the UK2003:
They found that a number of factors influenced legal migration flows including UK incomes relative to other EU countries and to source countries, the existing stock of immigrants in the UK and UK unemployment. The research does not cover asylum seekers, currently being considered. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 30 November 2009, Official Report, column 486W.
In addition to economic factors, the points-based system, which was rolled out over the course of 2008, is an important means of controlling migration for the purposes of work or study. In response to recent reports from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, we will be adjusting the thresholds that determine the points allocated to prospective entrants, and have reviewed the shortage occupation list, to ensure that our policy truly reflects the needs of the United Kingdom.
Missing Persons
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of missing (a) children and (b) adults of each (i) age group, (ii) nationality and (iii) region of residence have been recorded by the Missing Persons Bureau of the National Policing Improvement Agency since April 2008. [301254]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 26 November 2009]: The HERMES database used for the recording of missing persons data is an operational database used for policing purposes. The data are normally only used for management information and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply to National Statistics publications. The data are therefore provisional and may be subject to change.
A code of practice for the collection of missing persons data was introduced in April 2009. Although limited data have been collected as some police forces have implemented the code, it is unlikely that any meaningful and complete national picture of missing persons will be available until 2010, when all police forces will become compliant with the code. Meanwhile the available figures can be regarded as indicative only.
2,855 adults and 1,862 children were reported as missing to the Missing Persons Bureau between 1 April 2008 and 31 October 2009. Note that these figures relate to incidents of missing rather than individuals; the same person can go missing several times. 3,774 (80 per cent.) of these cases have subsequently been marked as 'closed' on the database (i.e. the missing person has returned or been located). However, research suggests(1) that 99 per cent. of missing persons are located within one year of going missing. Not all cancellations are received by the bureau. As force compliance with the code increases, the percentage of closed cases on HERMES will increase.
Data relating to cases of missing (a) children and (b) adults of each (i) age group and (ii) nationality are given in the following tables. Data relating to 'age' are given at the date of extraction from the database. The data have been grouped by Association of Chief Police Officers region and a total figure has been given for each region.
(1) Tarling, R. and Burrows, J. (2004) The nature and outcome of going missing: the challenge of developing effective risk assessment procedures', International Journal of Police Science and Management, Vol.6, No. 1, 16-26.
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