§ 11. Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had since 1 June on the subject of crime in London; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackMy right hon. and learned Friend has met the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on four occasions since becoming Home Secretary, and I have had discussions with the Inner London probation service and Lewisham Safer Cities. We continue to tackle crime by providing strong support to the police, giving the courts the powers they need, and fostering a growing range of partnership initiatives aimed at preventing crime.
§ Mr. HughesAs the Member for Parliament for the London borough where crime has risen every month for two years, where we have the second highest level of recorded crime in every category and the seventh highest unemployment figures in the country, may I ask whether the Minister and the Home Secretary heard from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that his view is that there is a direct link between rising unemployment and rising crime? Given that it appears from this morning's "Today" programme that the Home Secretary is now in the economics team of Cabinet Ministers, can we have a clear understanding that to deal with rising crime in Britain the best remedy is to reduce unemployment? Can that be a commitment from all Government Ministers?
§ Mr. JackThe hon. Gentleman may have a little weekend reading to do. I commend to him a piece of Home Office research by Dr. Simon Field which refutes the assertion that underlies, I believe, the hon. Gentleman's belief that individual unemployment is directly related to individual wrongdoing. If the hon. Gentleman had been a fly on the wall during the discussions between the Minister and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis he would have heard of the excellent work that is going in Southwark on burglary, of the extension of Operation Bumblebee, of the car crime initiative Delta, and the sector policing developments, all of which are tackling crime in his constituency.
§ Mr. BowisWould my hon. Friend like to suggest to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) that he could do worse than visit Battersea police station with my hon. Friend to see the sector policing that has been in operation for some time there and the results, which have led to a lower rate of crime, increased enforcement rates and a much better relationship between the community and the local police force?
§ Mr. JackI am glad that my hon. Friend made that point. If the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) had looked at the crime figures for London, he would know how effective the police are being. The increase in crime rates in the capital is below the national average and sector policing is making its contribution to that important development.
§ Mrs. RocheIs the Minister aware of alarming reports that cuts in police overtime in London have resulted in a dramatic reduction, by one third, of cases coming before some criminal courts in London?
§ Mr. JackSome people regard all reports that emanate from the police as dramatic. What I regard as dramatic is that there are 6,000 more police officers in London than in 1979.