§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when the first assessment of police forces' progress against the crime reduction targets for vehicle crime and burglary will be completed; and if it will be published; [111478]
(2) what mechanisms are in place to assess police forces' progress against the crime reduction targets for vehicle crime and burglary. [111479]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeEach police authority's Best Value Performance Plan will be audited each year between 1 April and 30 June. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary will then undertake a series of risk based inspections, an important element of which will be an assessment of the progress a police authority has made towards meeting its five year crime reduction targets. Where targets are not being met, this will have a direct bearing on the appropriate level of inspection.
The recorded crime figures will continue to be published every six months at both police force and Basic Command Unit level. The next publication will be July 2000. These figures will continue to give the public valuable information about how successful their local police have been in reducing crime and what progress has been made towards meeting their crime reduction targets.