§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the provision for the maintenance of law and order in the Brixton area of London; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MayhewThe deployment of available resources to particular areas is a matter of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were arrested for assaults on police officers on duty in the Brixton area in each of the last six months; if he will give a breakdown of these figures in terms of the ethnic appearance of the persons arrested; and if he will make a statement.
Police Officers attached to Brixton police station or operating in the Brixton area injured between 1 February and 25 July 1982 Accidental injury Non-accidental injury Total Hospital treatment February 4 13 17 — March 4 5 9 1 April 5 2 7 1 May 5 10 15 1 June 6 15 21 — To 25 July 9 16 25 2 Total 33 61 94 5
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the incidents which occurred in Railton Road, Brixton on Tuesday 20 July; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MayhewWe understand from the Commissioner that at approximately 4.45 pm on 20 July police officers in a patrol van saw a crowd of some 200 men running along Railton Road, Brixton. A number, estimated at 60, were carrying sticks and other weapons and appeared to be having a running battle, fighting among themselves. The crowd stopped, and ran back down the road, continuing their fighting. Mobile units of officers were brought into the area but were not required to intervene as the fighting ended, and the crowd dispersed, very quickly. Police officers were later called to a local hospital where three men were being treated for knife wounds. Inquiries into the circumstances in which the injuries were incurred and into the cause of the disturbance are continuing.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police vehicles attached to Brixton police station, or operating in the Brixton area, have been damaged in each of the last six months; what was the cost of repair or replacement of the vehicles in each month; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MayhewThe information requested is as follows:
532W
Month No. of police vehicles damaged that were attached to Brixton Police Station or operating in the Brixton area Cost of repairs (to nearest £10) January 1982 Nil Nil February 1982 1 £100 March 1982 4 £500
§ Mr. MayhewWe understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that, in the first two quarters of 1982, five persons were arrested in the Brixton police division for a serious offence of violence against the person, the victim of which was a police officer; the one arrested in the first quarter was of black-skinned appearance; the four arrested in the second quarter were of white-skinned European appearance. Corresponding information is not available for the summary offence of "assault on a constable".
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen attached to Brixton police station, or operating in the Brixton area, have been injured in each of the last six months; how many received hospital treatment; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MayhewThe information requested is as follows:
Month No. of police vehicles damaged that were attached to Brixton Police Station or operating in the Brixton area Cost of repairs (to nearest £10) April 1982 1 £10 May 1982 2 £40 June 1982 2 £50
§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the last 24 months the incidence of (a) street crimes reported, (b) arrest pertaining to street crimes, (c) the percentage (b) represents of (a), (d) robberies reported, (e) arrests pertaining to robberies and (f) the percentage (e) represents of (d) for that police area or district most closely coinciding with Brixton.
§ Mr. MayhewWe shall reply as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he expects the future policing of the Railton Road area of Brixton to approximate more closely to that in other parts of the Metropolis.
§ Mr. MayhewIt is for a chief officer to decide on the method of policing best suited to a particular area.
§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is able to quantify the reduction in street crime and robbery brought about by community policing in the Brixton area.
§ Mr. MayhewNo. The incidence of street crime and robbery may respond to many factors. It cannot be assessed solely in relation to any particular policing method.