§ Mr. DevlinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what measures his Department is taking to prevent crime in Cleveland;
(2) how many neighbourhood watch schemes have been established in Cleveland.
§ Mr. John Patten[holding answer 8 March 1989]: At the end of November 1988 the Cleveland police force strength was 1,470 police officers and 429 civilians. This represents increases of 123 police officers and 111 civilians since 1 97 9. Nine police officers and one civilian work full time on crime prevention. Four crime prevention panels are in operation in the area and there are 463 neighbourhood watch schemes, covering 15,826 homes. As part of the Government's "Action for Cities" initiative, a safer cities project is being established in Hartlepool.