§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the practice of his Department in making requests to the Metropolitan Police or the Director of Public Prosecutions to act in cases of persons who publicly declare that they have deliberately and continuously broken the law; and whether he will take action in the cases of such a nature, details of which have been supplied to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North.
§ Mr. Elystan MorganResponsibility for the investigation of crime lies on chief officers of police and the decision whether proscutions shall be brought in particular cases rests with them and in certain circumstances with the Director of Public Prosecutions. When information suggesting that a crime has been committed comes to the Home Office, my right hon. Friend's practice is to send it to the chief officer of police concerned,130W or to advise the correspondent to do so. The details supplied by my hon. Friend in this instance were newspaper reports which the police would already have seen.