HC Deb 18 January 1982 vol 16 cc15-6W
Mr. Tilley

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police expect to complete their work, referred to by Lord Scarman in his report, to find scientific ways in which evidence of racial prejudice can be identified among candidates for the police service.

Mr. Mayhew

The work carried out by the Metropolitan Police, to which Lord Scarman referred, has suggested that this problem can best be dealt with by a combination of careful initial screening of applicants, a continuous process of assessment during initial training, and training in behaviour. A more sophisticated

Serious offences recorded by the police in the London borough of Newham by Commissioner's offence classification groups: 1979, 1980, January-September 1981
Offence classification 1979 1980* January-September 1981*
Crimes of violence
Assault etc. (including homicide) 634 635 455
Robbery and other violent theft 347 390 403
Robbery of personal property following sudden attack in the open, there being no previous association between assailant and victim 113 93 106
Burglary† 4,036 4,261 3,938
Autocrime 5,197 5,661 5,065
Theft of or from a motor vehicle‡ 4,613 5,267
Theft of a pedal cycle, etc. 584 394
Other theft and handling 3,220 3,294 2,653
Shoplifting 544 482
Theft by an employee from shops, banks etc. 73 47
Fraud and forgery 649 876 **620
Criminal damage and other offences 2,486 2,589 2,404
Total 17,706 15,538

assessment scheme has just been introduced; and in April it is proposed to restructure and augment initial recruit training by the inclusion of training in human awareness.