HC Deb 13 January 1994 vol 235 cc320-1
3. Mr. Mandelson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will increase the resources available to the Cleveland police authority to fight crime in the area.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Charles Wardle)

Provision for policing in Cleveland in 1994–95 will increase by more than 4 per cent.

Mr. Mandelson

Is the Minister aware that crime in my constituency has risen by 132 per cent. since the Government came to power, burglary by 148 per cent. and auto crime by 281 per cent., resulting most recently this morning in a tragic death in the town? As my constituents have almost despaired of anything being achieved to stop that crime wave, will the Minister give a clear answer to the question this afternoon: will the Government's new Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill cut crime for my constituents or not? Yes or no?

Mr. Wardle

First, I join the hon. Gentleman in the regret that he expressed about the death to which he referred. I know that he prides himself on his presentational skills, so it is a pity that he did a disservice to the House. In the year to 30 June 1993, crime fell in the area of the Cleveland constabulary by 2 per cent. The hon. Gentleman has not told the House that, for the current year, Cleveland's police standard spending assessment in-creased by 3.9 per cent., but the county council cut the police budget by 2 per cent. and, in nine of the past 15 years, has not even applied for an increase in its establishment. The answer to the hon. Gentleman's question of course is yes.

Mr. Devlin

Turning to another aspect of the Cleveland police, is my hon. Friend aware of how pleased the police in Stockton are that they are to be testing the new side-handled baton, which they called for and which the Home Secretary was only too ready to grant them? Will my hon. Friend further congratulate the police in Stockton on the greatest fall in burglary rates in Cleveland?

Mr. Wardle

I happily join my hon. Friend in congratulating the police in Stockton. He is right, too, about the value of the trials of the baton to which he referred. I am sure that both he and the House will be aware that the Cleveland force has done an excellent job. Not only has crime fallen by 2 per cent. throughout the area of the force, but the clear-up rate is better than the national average. Civilianisation is proceeding apace; by the end of 1992, 100 uniformed officers had been released by civilianisation, and it is planned to release another 40 for operational duties this year.

Mr. Mike O'Brien

Whatever may be happening in Cleveland, are not large numbers of constabularies, including Warwickshire constabulary, facing budget cuts—in the case of Warwickshire, of 2 per cent.—as a result of Government policy? Does not the Minister understand that if the Government fail to deliver to constabularies the resources that they require to put officers on the beat, that is a false economy? If we do not provide police with the resources that they need, we will pay the price in higher insurance rates and in the rise in crime over which the Government have presided for the past 14 years.

Mr. Wardle

As the hon. Gentleman knows, provision for police spending will increase by 4.4 per cent. What local authorities do with their budgets, having received their police SSAs, is a matter for them. If some Labour local authorities are willing to spend more on social services and less on their police budgets, that is a matter for them and a matter for which they will be answerable to their electorates.

Madam Speaker

Mr. Gyles Brandreth. [HON. MEMBERS: "Where is he?"] Order. Mr. Roy Hughes.