§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training police officers receive in how to deal with victims of(a) child abuse and (b) rape; and whether there is an officer at every police station who has received this training. [112106]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThere is currently no national training for police officers on dealing with victims of child abuse and rape. Individual forces are responsible for determining the training required by their officers.
Centrex (the Central Police Training and Development Authority) is reviewing the training needed by police officers in relation to the investigation of sexual offences in the light of recommendations made in the report of a joint inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. The review will result in a new learning requirement which will defile what officers need to learn and the standards to which they should be trained and will be aligned with the National Occupational Standards for the police service.
The Home Office, together with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Police Skills and Standards Organisation, Centrex and others, is considering how to take forward the recommendations of Lord Laming in the report of his inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie. The Government are committed to implementing Lord Laming's recommendations, which included several concerning the training of police and other practitioners involved in child protection work.
The deployment of officers following training is entirely a matter for the chief officer of the force concerned.
§ Mr. Tom WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the costs were of policing the annual party political conferences in 2002; and how these costs were met. [111163]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthInformation is only available about the additional costs for policing at the Labour Party and Conservative Party's annual conferences. The additional cost of policing the Labour Party conference in Blackpool in 2002 was £1.52 million. The additional cost for policing the Conservative Party conference in Bournemouth last year was £0.89 million.
254WForces are assisted with their additional costs through a special grant for the Home Office. For 2002, these grants met the police authorities additional costs in full.