HC Deb 13 May 1993 vol 224 cc929-30
10. Mr. Whittingdale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what innovation his Department is considering to tackle car crime.

Mr. Jack

My advisory committee on car crime is looking at devising new ways to encourage a greater take-up of car security systems. Those efforts will be supported by the continuation of our successful car crime prevention campaign.

Mr. Whittingdale

Is my hon. Friend aware that immobiliser devices such as those produced by the Immobiliser group in Chelmsford are proving extremely effective in preventing car crime and are also now affordable? Does he agree that if more motorists spent a few extra pounds installing such devices that would have a major impact in reducing car crime?

Mr. Jack

My hon. Friend succinctly underlines one of the key messages that helped to make car crime prevention year a success. At the start of the year, car crime was rising at a rate of 18 per cent. but by the end of the year the rate of increase had dropped to 3 per cent. and the increase in thefts of cars—immobilisers are relevant to that statistic was only 1 per cent. We are now renewing our campaign and I am sure that that message will form a key part of it.

Mr. Faulds

Why can the car industry itself not make a greater contribution to the prevention of car crime?

Mr. Jack

If the hon. Gentleman had been with me at the fleet motor show recently he would have seen that most of the models now available in the United Kingdom come fitted with alarms, immobilisers and other security devices. Those are extremely effective and major buyers such as fleet users are seeing great success when they purchase cars with such equipment.

Mr. Sykes

Is my hon. Friend aware that recently on television a member of the North Yorkshire probation service referred to the prisoners in her charge as "clients"? Should we not stop listening to the so-called experts and start doling out punishments that fit the crime rather than the criminal?

Mr. Jack

I assume that behind my hon. Friend's question is the idea of the persistent young car thief. The Home Secretary's announcement that he will introduce a secure training order to deal with persistent young criminals, many of whom are car thieves, goes to the heart of my hon. Friend's question.