Crime Prevention (Hansard, 5 February 1987)

§ 38. Mr. Patrick Thompson
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total expenditure by Government Departments on crime prevention initiatives.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
The Government's policy is to encourage the use of crime prevention measures as an integral part of public and private planning. It is not therefore always possible to separate expenditure on crime prevention from other expenditure, although crime prevention measures increasingly feature in the Government's programmes. Among the main items of Government crime prevention expenditure in this financial year are: an estimated £3.2 billion spent on the police in England and Wales, much of whose work involves crime prevention; an estimated £28 million spent under the Department of the Environment's Urban Programme and Estates Action; and £2.5 million used for crime prevention publicity. The 7,000 places approved under the Manpower Services Commission's community programme crime prevention initiative represent an annual expenditure of about £33 million.

§ 43. Mr. Wood
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for developing the Home Office crime prevention publicity campaign.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
The third phase of the "Magpies" publicity campaign is to be launched on 23 February 1987. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage householders to improve the physical security of their homes and the "Magpies" television commercials will be shown for the first time on the TV South, TV South West, Harlech TV and Anglia Television areas. There will be a reminder television campaign in the north of England. The television campaign will be reinforced in the new areas by the house-to-house distribution of 6.6 million leaflets. Further coverage will be achieved through advertising in national newspapers and magazines. The full campaign will cost £1.7 million.
The 1987–88 crime prevention publicity budget has been increased from £2.6 million to £4–8 million. The greater part of the additional funds will be spent on a new national advertising campaign which is now in development.