HC Deb 22 March 1994 vol 240 cc131-2W
Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police personnel were used in Operation Barnard in Wanstead on 16 February; and what was the total cost of the operation.

Mr. Charles Wardle

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that Operation Barnard involved just over 700 officers. The additional costs of the operation are estimated to be over £200,000. Information on the cost of support services and other resources involved is not available.

Leicester: "Evaluation of New Provision for Children Witnesses, 1991"; and if he will outline the issues and scope of the research evaluation.

Mr. Maclean

The research project to which my hon. Friend refers is due to publish its findings in late-1994. The project is: monitoring and observing child witnesses giving evidence; sampling a range of opinion among legal, social service and police personnel and also child witnesses; evaluating sample video-taped interviews to test for their adherence to the memorandum of good practice, the voluntary guidance issued with the Criminal Justice Act 1991 concerning good practice in the recording of interviews with child witnesses; and analysing information from the Lord Chancellor's Department relating to the number of cases involving children and the outcomes of those cases, in order to assess the effectiveness of the provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 1991 relating to the evidence of children.

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