§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the work of the Neighbourhood Support Team of the Special Constabulary of Merseyside; [99550]
(2) if he will make a statement on the work of the Special Constabulary on Merseyside. [99549]
§ Mr. DenhamMerseyside Special Constabulary plays an important role in contributing towards crime reduction and public reassurance within their force. They are recognised by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) as being a well managed force, who have put considerable efforts into integrating specials work into that of the regular force and within their neighbourhood policing model.
The Chief Constable of Merseyside Police also tells me that since its inception in July 2002, the Neighbourhood Support Team of the Special Constabulary has made 84 arrests, itself an impressive record.
Merseyside Police was one of several forces across the country asked to take forward a project under the 'Specials Champions Initiative', contributing towards Home Office/ACPO Good Practice Guidance which will be published on the new Special Constabulary website (www.specialconstables.gov.uk)