§ 4. Mr. Simon Burns (West Chelmsford)If he will make a statement on the level of crime in the Chelmsford area. [44244]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. George Howarth)In 1997, 9,339 offences were recorded by the Chelmsford police division. That is about 10 per cent. lower than the level of recorded crime there in 1996.
§ Mr. BurnsWill the Minister join me in congratulating the Essex police and neighbourhood watch schemes on that impressive fall in crime, which contradicts the soundbites from Home Office Ministers about rising crime and shows that in the last few years of the previous Government, crime overall was falling? Does the Minister share my concern that in the previous financial year, £1.1 million was allocated for the creation of 55 extra constables in Essex, but the money was used to create 7 only 28 extra officers? Will he liaise with the Essex police authority to find out why we did not get the full number of police constables?
§ Mr. HowarthFirst, I join the hon. Gentleman in congratulating Essex police. Crime in the county has fallen by 11 per cent. to 90,158 offences. That compares with a fall of 9 per cent. across England as a whole. On the hon. Gentleman's second point, as he has just congratulated the chief constable, I am sure that he will agree that it is for the chief constable to decide how to deploy his resources. The hon. Gentleman just said that those resources had been deployed effectively, so I am not sure what his point is.