HC Deb 06 December 1999 vol 340 cc552-4
13. Mr. Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury)

What measures he is taking to reduce police response times in rural areas. [99688]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Mr. Charles Clarke)

The Government place great emphasis on improving police response times to emergency calls. At present, individual forces set their targets. The Association of Chief Police Officers is considering whether to move to a maximum 20-minute target time for all rural forces across the country. The current target time in Cheshire is 15 minutes, which is already ahead of that target. We intend to drive down the response time through the use of improved technology and more police officers, as we have already outlined.

Mr. O'Brien

As the Minister knows, police response times take, on average, twice as long in rural areas as in urban areas. That, coupled with the closure of police stations in rural areas, exacerbates rural dwellers' increasing sense of insecurity and desperation. Why do not the Home Secretary and the Minister implement the recommendations of the Home Office report on rural police funding? Does the Minister agree that his decision is yet another example of the Government's antagonism towards those who live in rural areas?

Mr. Clarke

That is nonsense, although I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his first contribution to Home Office questions. The facts for the Cheshire police are clear: they received an increase of £4.7 million—a 4.1 per cent. increase, which is well above the national average—and 28 extra officers. The force numbers are therefore increasing.

The Government are strongly committed to dealing with rural crime. We have established a series of measures, including those on reducing response times, which, I acknowledge to the hon. Gentleman, are an important aspect of community confidence in rural areas. We shall continue to drive forward the changes, which, I further acknowledge, are very necessary.

Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe and Nantwich)

My hon. Friend may not be aware that there has been a sudden spate in rural areas of thefts of such expensive items as 4x4s and tractors. That causes alarm. However, my hon. Friend may also like to acknowledge that those in the rural area around Nantwich, especially the officers at Nantwich police station, are doing a tremendous job which is greatly appreciated by those who are most affected. When I accidentally set off the alarms in a Cheshire county council library on Saturday, the police responded at twice the speed of the relevant private security firm.

Mr. Clarke

I might have known that my hon. Friend was precisely the sort of dangerous, anti-social element that the Government are trying to tackle—in several different contexts. I am grateful for her contribution. In many parts of the country, the farm watch initiatives, which cover some of the farm equipment that my hon. Friend mentioned, have been effective. They are another consequence of effective local crime reduction partnerships.

Mr. David Heath (Somerton and Frome)

Is not the problem the fact that patrolling in rural areas is virtually non-existent, and that the thin blue line has become extremely thin in much of rural Britain? Given the problems that we have already discussed, such as difficulties in recruiting, training, equipping and retaining special constables, would it not be an idea to examine the policy on fire brigades, which is covered by the other half of the Home Office operation, and consider retained constables?

Mr. Clarke

I do not accept for a moment what the hon. Gentleman says about patrolling in rural areas, but I accept that there is a lot of interest in rural neighbourhood special constables or retained constables, and those issues are worth pursuing. Some rural forces have a strong local special constable presence, which is an example that we are looking at carefully across the country; and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State and I are carefully considering ways in which not only the fire service but the ambulance service can work with the police to ensure that there is a strong community safety element in rural areas.