9. Mr. H. Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of indictable offences recorded in Liverpool, Birkenhead, and that area of the Lancashire County Council which includes Huyton, for the latest available year.
§ Sir H. Lucas-ToothThe provisional figures for indictable offences known to the police in 1954 were, in Liverpool, 15,509, in Birkenhead, 1,833, and in Huyton, 446.
Mr. WilsonIn view of these very alarming figures, does not the hon. Gentleman agree that the police would be far better employed in dealing more fully with this problem instead of wasting their time persecuting those who run small lotteries for charitable, church or political purposes? If the police were diverted from that task, would there not be some hope that the crime wave in that area might be reduced?
§ Sir H. Lucas-ToothI must not be taken as agreeing with what the right hon. Gentleman said, which is quite irrelevant to his Question. I would point out, however, that the figures for 1954 show a decrease from those of 1953 of 15 per cent. in Liverpool, 19 per cent. in Birkenhead, and 16 per cent. in Huyton.