§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration he has given to the need for the safer cities campaign to be applied to cities in Wales.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettThe safer cities programme was launched by the Home Secretary in 1988 and reached its target of 20 projects this month. It is part of the "Action for Cities" initiative which is concerned with the regeneration of the inner cities in England. Wales did not participate in these programmes, preferring to pursue its own distinct regeneration strategies, such as the valleys programme, and to provide substantial assistance to Welsh communities for crime prevention measures under the urban programme.
A key feature of the safer cities programme is the establishment of multi-agency steering committees in each approved project area to promote and consider crime prevenion measures. In Wales a similar partnership approach has been achieved by providing funds under the urban programme, which has enabled county crime prevention co-ordinators to be appointed in six of the eight counties of Wales. The Welsh Office has also made funds available to the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders to assist with the development of crime prevention initiatives at a local level in south-east 269W Wales. Crime prevention projects developed under these initiatives may themselves be eligible for funding under the urban programme.