§ VISCOUNT SIMONasked His Majesty's Government whether they will give the figures relied on to support the assertion that juvenile violent crime has recently decreased in this country, and whether the figures are not consistent with the view that such crimes are on the increase but that the detection and prosecution of such crimes have fallen off.
§ LORD SHEPHERDI understand that the noble Viscount has in mind a statement made by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on January 29 to the effect that the 1949 figures of juvenile crime would show slightly better results than those of the previous year. The Commissioner's statement related to the Metropolitan Police District only and he was referring to arrests for all types of offences. I have no reason to suppose that the detection or prosecution of crimes of violence has fallen off.
House adjourned at ten minutes past four o'clock.