§ 23. Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will clarify exactly what proportion of the extra cost of policing directly attributable to the miners' dispute he expects to be borne by the police authorities.
§ Mr. BrittanIt is a basic principle of policing in this country that costs are shared between local and central Government. The Government have, exceptionally, made extra assistance available to help meet the costs of policing the dispute as described in my replies to questions from my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Stewart) on 11 May, at columns483–84 and 28 June, at column 510. As a result of this assistance, police authorities will bear their normal 50 per cent. share of the costs only for expenditure up to the level of the product of a penny rate. Above that level they will bear only 10 per cent. of the costs. Moreover, the Government will not allow the total of any police authorities share of expenditure up to 30 June to exceed the product of a penny rate. The additional costs of aid supplied to other forces should be repaid by the authority of the force which received the aid.
§ 30. Mr. Andrew MacKayasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement on the policing of picket lines during the coal mining dispute.
§ 44. Mr. Barronasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the policing of the current miners' dispute.
§ Mr. HurdAs I said in reply on 17 July, at column 86, to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mr. Parry), major policing operations have continued to be necessary to ensure that people who wish to go to work may do so, and to prevent or deal with acts of intimidation in some areas. Between 14 March and 17 July, 512 police officers had been injured in performing duties related to the dispute, and 4,513 people had been arrested.
§ 47. Mr. Meadowcroftasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received from police authorities about the level of recompense they are to receive for the extra expense incurred in relation to the miners' dispute.
§ Mr. HurdRepresentatives of the Derbyshire police authority and county council who met my right hon. and learned Friend on 4 July made representations that the entire costs of the dispute should be met from central funds. A resolution to the same effect was forwarded by the Lancashire Police authority on 10 July. Up to 18 July we have received no other representations since he announced additional help for the police authorities with the highest costs in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Stewart) on 28 June, at column510.
§ 50. Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with chief police officers about the policing of picket lines and mining communities during the coal mining dispute.
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§ 57. Mr. Fisherasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will convene a meeting of chief constables to discuss the policing of the miners' dispute.
§ 64. Mr. Brandon-Bravoasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what communications he has had with chief officers of the police on their handling of disorder on and around picket lines.
§ Mr. HurdOn behalf of his colleagues in England and Wales, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers has reported personally to my right hon. and learned Friend on the whole range of policing operations related to the dispute on a number of occasions, most recently on 26 June. He sees no current reason to convene a meeting of chief officers to discuss the operations. He receives daily reports on them from chief officers, and, as necessary, additional reports on particular problems, such as intimidation.
§ 62. Mr. Flanneryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the payments to the police in mining areas where local authorities have refused to pay for policing the picket lines in the present strike; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdI know that some police authorities whose forces have provided mutual aid during the miners' dispute are concerned that the police authority for the aided force may refuse to meet the costs of that aid, but I am not aware that any application for repayment has been refused.
§ 65. Mr. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to increase the resources available to the police to secure the safety of miners who wish to work and that of their families.
§ Mr. HurdI share my hon. Friend's concern about intimidation. But I am glad to say the special measures taken by the police are having considerable success. The need is not for more resources, which are adequate, but for the victims of such crimes to report them without delay. This is an insidious crime which the police can deal with effectively only if it comes immediately to their notice.
§ 66. Mr. Greg Knightasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from chief constables as to instances in their areas of alleged intimidation of miners' families; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdWe have received a series of reports from chief officers of police in England and Wales about acts of intimidation related to the miners' dispute, including offences against miners' families. We have recent reports from the chief constables of Derbyshire, Durham, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, Northumbria, South Wales, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. There have been acts of intimidation in each force area, notably in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Warwickshire. The offences reported include criminal damage to miners' homes and vehicles, threatening telephone calls and visits to homes, and threats to children in the street. Miners have been pursued or assaulted on their way to work. In addition, there has been criminal damage to National Coal Board property, and to the property of companies not part of the coal industry.
Chief officers are maintaining and developing their arrangements to prevent offences of intimidation and to 288W apprehend offenders, including the deployment of more uniformed officers, and teams of CID officers. The police are investigating all acts of intimidation reported to them. In local publicity, and with the assistance of councillors and others, people are being encouraged to report such acts, and assured that those will receive urgent and thorough attention. The police have our full encouragement in taking all practicable steps to present and detect offences of intimidation and to bring offenders before the courts.
§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for each Metropolitan police district, how many police officers have been taken off their normal duties because of the miners' strike;
(2) how many Metropolitan police officers have been sent outside the Metropolitan police district in connection with the miners' strike; and what has been the cost to the ratepayers of London.
§ Mr. HurdThe amount of aid provided has varied widely from week to week, but between 14 March and 13 July the number of officers deployed on mutual aid on any one day has averaged 645. A breakdown by police district is as follows. The additional cost of sending these officers on mutual aid it met by the aided force. Information about the number of officers who have had to be redeployed from their normal duties to cover for colleagues temporarily engaged on mutual aid duties is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Average number Metropolitan police officers deployed per day on mutual aid duties in connection with the miners' dispute; by police district District Number of officers A 19 B 19 C 22 D 24 E 29 F 19 G 23 H 23 J 29 K 39 L 26 M 31 N 24 P 34 Q 25 R 29 S 26 T 33 V 22 W 29 X 26 y 35 z 35 Airport 24 Total 645
§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will summarise separately the numbers charged in connection with the coal mining dispute with (a) assault on a police officer, (b) assault occasioning actual bodily harm, (c) causing grievous bodily harm, (d) offensive weapon, (e) section 7 conspiracy, (f) affray and (g) riot, setting out in each case how many cases have been 289W brought to court and the sentences that have been awarded sudividing fines as in the answer of 16 July, Official Report.
§ Mr. HurdThe information available centrally on court cases completed and sentences imposed does not identify the charges involved. But I can now provide more up-to-date information on charges and court cases. The following charges were brought in connection with the miners' dispute between 14 March and 17 July inclusive:
Offences Number of charges Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1936 (conduct conducive to a breach of the peace) 2,046 Obstruction of a police officer 1,089 Obstruction of the highway 539 Criminal damage 285 Arson 3 Assault on a police officer 280 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 231 Causing grievous bodily harm 13 Theft 86 Assault with intent to resist arrest 9 Offensive weapon 13 Section 7 of the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875 (Intimidation) 92 Burglary 6 Handling stolen property 1 Drug offence 1 Attempt (various offences) 9 Drunkenness 57 Unlawful Assembly 135 Affray 19 Riot 84 Other offences 95 Total 5,093 In the same period the courts had dealt with 750 cases. Sixty-five of the defendants were acquitted. In one case the court imposed a suspended sentence of six months imprisonment. Nine of those convicted were sentenced to be detained for one day. In 39 cases the courts imposed a conditional discharge; in 277 cases the defendants were bound over to keep the peace. In 447 cases fines were imposed, the courts making more than one order in some cases. The information available centrally on the level of fine imposed is as follows:
Level of Fine Number Under £10 6 £10–£24 38 £25–£49 22 £50–£74 91 £75–£99 151 £100–£149 85 £150–£199 26 £200 and above 28 Total 447
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from each chief constable concerned to provide details of the number of police injured since 19 June dealing, and involved, with the current miners' dispute.
§ Mr. HurdThe following numbers of officers have been injured, in the period from 20 June to 17 July inclusive, in dealing with events arising from the miners' dispute.
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Police force area Numbers of officers Derbyshire 79 Greater Manchester 2 Humberside 2 Northumbria 3 Nottinghamshire 3 South Wales 3 South Yorkshire 5 West Yorkshire 3 Total 100
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from each chief constable concerned to provide details, for each police force area, of the number of pickets arrested and their known occupation from 19 June to date.
§ Mr. HurdThe following numbers of arrests have been made, in the period from 20 June to 17 July inclusive, in connection with events arising from the miners' dispute.
Police force area Number of arrests Cleveland 17 Derbyshire 273 Durham 17 Greater Manchester 77 Gwent 85 Hampshire 1 Humberside 29 Merseyside 17 Metropolitan 10 Northumbria 19 North Yorkshire 41 Nottinghamshire 338 South Wales 43 South Yorkshire 25 Staffordshire 25 Warwickshire 44 West Yorkshire 8 Total 1,069 The information available centrally on the occupation of the persons arrested relates to the period from 20 June to 10 July inclusive when a total of 734 people were arrested, and the occupations given were as follows:
Occupation Number of persons Miners 626 Member of Parliament 1 Manual workers 11 Housewives 7 Unemployed 11 Not known/not given 78 Total 734