§ Mr. BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many shops and businesses were successfully prosecuted for selling fireworks to children under the apparent age of 16 years by(a) the police
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Percentage change in numbers of notifiable offences recorded by police force area and offence group 1993–94 England and Wales Percentage change Police force area Total Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary Theft and handling stolen goods Fraud and forgery Criminal damage Other offences Avon and Somerset -5 +18 +22 -8 -8 -6 -14 +4 +30 Bedfordshire -11 +2 +2 +7 -17 -11 -18 -1 +34 Cambridgeshire -6 +7 +7 -21 -6 -10 -18 +10 +6 Cheshire -7 +9 +17 -19 -13 -10 -3 +4 +46 Cleveland +4 +6 +9 +39 -2 +4 -14 +14 +24 Cumbria -3 +11 +2 (-19) -6 -7 +11 +7 +5 Derbyshire -6 -3 +3 +18 -6 -10 +2 +1 +11 Devon and Cornwall -10 +12 -9 -5 -7 -12 -15 -13 +16 Dorset +7 +9 +39 +8 2 +6 -16 +38 +1 Durham -3 +11 +3 -9 -8 -5 -11 +6 +8 Essex -7 +8 -23 -2 -13 -9 -11 +4 +15 Gloucestershire 0 +22 +220 +5 -8 -4 +13 +28 +30 and (b) trading standards officers, in each year since 1985. [23572]
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 22 May 1995]: Statistics relating to prosecutions undertaken by trading standard officers cannot be identified centrally.
The table shows the number of police and non-police prosecutions and convictions under section 31 of the Explosives Act 1875, as amended, from 1985 to 1993: 1994 data will not be available until autumn 1995.
It should, however, be noted that the statistics of court proceedings are based on returns made by the police to the Home Office and although these include offences where there has been no police involvement, such as those prosecutions instigated by Government Departments, local authorities—in this case, probably trading standards officers—and private organisations and individuals, the reporting of these types of offence is known to be incomplete.
Number of defendants prosecuted and convicted at magistrates courts for selling fireworks to any child apparently under 16 years of age 1 by type of proceeding 1985–1993 England and Wales Prosecutions Convictions Year Police Others Police Others 1985 — — — — 19862 6 — — — 19873 1 — 1 — 1988 1 1 — 1 1989 — — — — 1990 — 1 — 1 1991 — — — — 1992 — — — — 1993 — — — — 1Section 31 of the Explosives Act 1875 as amended by the Explosive (Age of Purchase, etc) Act 1976, s1 and the Consumer Protection Act 1987, sch 4. 2 A further offender found guilty at the Crown Court. 3 A further offender found guilty at the Crown Court.