§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute an inquiry into the extent to which individual police forces employ road blocks and special police patrols not directly connected with the maintenance of public order and the cost of such operations; and if he will issue a circular to chief constables setting out and limiting the circumstances in which road blocks and special police patrols my be used.
§ Mr. BrittanNo. When acting in the execution of their duty the police have a general power to stop vehicles under section 159 of the Road Traffic Act 1972. The power to stop vehicles is used in many different circumstances in connection with both traffic offences and other criminal offences. The exercise of this power by the police is an operational matter within the discretion of the chief officer of the force concerned.
1976 1977 1978 1979 Jan-Oct. 1980 Indictable crmes reported to the police 14,298 15,575 17,361 16,569 14,619 Assaults 517 523 613 634 530 Robbery/violent theft 372 388 365 347 292 Arrest for all indictable crimes 3,556 3,644 3,743 3,813 3,192 Arrests for crimes of violence 416 414 430 431 382 Arrests for burglary 417 465 432 509 363 Arrests for autocrime 734 644 832 814 679 Arrests for theft/handling 1,508 1,550 1,433 1,386 1,122 Arrests for fraud/forgery 232 196 172 187 244 Arrests for criminal damage/miscellaneous 249 375 444 469 393