§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, in rank order, the statistics collated by his Department for car crime in(a) the member states of the European Union, (b) the regions of the UK and (c) districts within the north-west for each of the last five years. [32187]
§ Mr. MacleanComparisons of car crime statistics in the member states of the European Union are difficult because definitions of offences vary between countries due both to legal differences and statistical recording methods. However, the international crime survey has compared risks of car crime in European countries in 1988 and 1991 and the results are published in Home Office research findings No. 8. Additionally, information on recorded thefts of a vehicle in European countries in 1990 is published in the "Draft European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics". Copies of both these publications are available in the Library. Statistics for each police force area in England and Wales have also been placed in the Library. Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the respective Secretaries of State. Information on districts within the north-west is not collected centrally.