§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the reasons for trends in robbery in Nottinghamshire between December 2001 and 2002. [136245]
§ Ms BlearsThere was an increase in robbery across England and Wales in 2001–02, which occurred principally in urban areas. Nottinghamshire was one of the areas affected. According to Home Office research, the increase in robbery over this period is attributable to several factors, in particular, the rise in the number of young people robbing other young people allied to the sharp increase in mobile phone ownership providing easy targets for offenders. While Nottinghamshire was not one of the areas that the research drew data from, it aimed to consider a sufficiently large sample to gain an impression of the nature of robbery in different areas of England and Wales. On 14 October 2002, the Home Office published figures for the first six months of the Street Crime Initiative (April to September 2002), which showed that there had been 19 per cent. more robberies in Nottinghamshire in the six-month period April to September 2002 compared to the same period in 2001. By the end of the year, the increase had reduced to 3 per cent. (comparing the 12-month period with the previous year).
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what trends there have been in the level of street crime in the areas targeted by the Street Crime Initiative since December 2002. [136246]
§ Ms BlearsThe Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly Update to June 2003", published on 16 October 2003, shows that recorded robbery fell by an estimated seven per cent. in April to June 2003 compared with the same period in the previous year. This quarterly update does not give figures for individual forces. Data for individual forces will be available in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin for the financial year 2003–04, expected to be published in the summer of 2004.
The latest published figures for individual forces relate to 2002–03, published in July. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 16 September 2003, Official Report, column 674W.