§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding is available for panic alarms to be given to tenants in high crime areas. [24206]
§ Mr. MacleanSince 1988, a number of vulnerable people have benefitted from personal alarms funded under phase 1 of the safer cities programme. Funding under this programme is restricted to areas in which safer cities projects have been established, and decisions on which schemes to support are taken by local steering committees based on their agreed priorities and action plans.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies have been carried out by his Department or by other bodies into the effectiveness of panic alarms in crime prevention; and what assessment he has made of these studies. [24208]
§ Mr. MacleanAs part of a programme of work on violent crime, the Home Office funded a project in Merseyside aimed at preventing domestic violence. Pendant alarms, linked via a cellular network to the police divisional control room, were loaned to "at risk" victims. At the same time, a database of police calls to domestic incidents was established so that officers responding to one of the alarm calls could be briefed quickly about the previous calls received from that address. Police officers were issued with aide-memoires on their powers for dealing with incidents of domestic violence; and victims were given information cards, and offered help from a 367W domestic violence prevention officer in developing longer term safety plans. Detailed accounts taken from the victims indicate the relief both they and their children experienced as a result of this work. The report of this project was published as crime prevention unit paper 49. I have arranged for a copy of this report to be placed in the Library.
I am not aware of any other research in this area.