§ 12. Martin Linton (Battersea) (Lab)What research he has commissioned on the effectiveness of measures to reduce burglary in Wandsworth. [178163]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Fiona Mactaggart)Three projects were funded in Wandsworth as part of phase two of the reducing burglary initiative, which ran from 1999 to 2002. The initiative, including one of the Wandsworth projects, has been evaluated to identify implementation lessons and its findings are due to be published in the summer.
§ Martin LintonThe Minister will know that the local police division was commended not only on the biggest reduction in burglaries—19 per cent. last year—but on meeting other targets, including getting car crime down 5 per cent. and street crime down 15 per cent. I am glad that the Home Office is conducting research on crime detection methods to see what works best. Wandsworth demonstrates that it is by targeting repeat offenders and the fast turnaround of forensics, epitomised by the story—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The supplementary question is far too long. Could the Minister at tempt to reply?
§ Fiona MactaggartI congratulate Wandsworth on its success in reducing burglary, which reflects a national reduction in burglary of 40 per cent. since 1997, and I congratulate the police on that. Wandsworth has received an award for its work, which shows that local police forces working with local communities can tackle the kind of crime that makes people's lives a misery. We are determined to put that at the heart of our strategy to push down crime and reduce burglary by working with the police and local people, and increase the 40 per cent. reduction that we have already achieved over the coming years.