§ Mr. BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of the report of the chief constable of Bedfordshire on the effect of Luton Town football club's ban on visiting supporters on reducing crime in Luton, he will recommend the adoption of such a scheme to other chief constables ; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe membership card scheme introduced by Luton Town FC has been notably successful and we recommend that the football authorities, clubs and the police study the scheme to find out what lessons may be learned for wider application. The precise nature of a membership scheme to be adopted is a matter for the individual club, in close consultation with the local police and with the benefit of guidelines and advice from the Football League. The advice given by the police would be a matter for the appropriate chief officer in the light of his professional assessment of a wide variety of local circumstances. A scheme which involves a total ban on visiting supporters may not be as well suited to other clubs as it is to Luton Town. The Government will continue to seek wider adoption of membership schemes through the working group chaired by the Minister with responsibility for sport.
§ Ms. HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the Metropolitan police force's budget has been spent on crime prevention projects for each year since 1979; and how much it is proposed to spend in the next financial year.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that expenditure on publicity initiatives on crime prevention, neighbourhood watch and business watch schemes during the period is as follows:
£ 1981–82 106,000 1982–83 206,000 1983–84 369,000 1984–85 295,000 1985–86 327,000 1986–87 423,000 1987–881 515,000 1 Estimated Information for 1979–80 and 1980–81 is not available and the level of expenditure for 1988–89 has not yet been decided.
In addition, it is expected that over £70,000 will be spent in 1987–88 on equipment for neighbourhood watch and business watch schemes, property marking, videos and films, on the mobile advice unit and on administrative support for some crime prevention panels. The equivalent figures for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Agency Campaign Subject Expenditure £ Davidson Pearce Magistrates Court Service 4,000 Boase Massimi Pollitt Partnership Crime Prevention 1,688,000 Collett Dickenson Peare & Partners TV Licence Evasion 1,573,000 Boase Massimi Pollitt Partnership Police Recruitment 149,000 Davidson Pearce Electoral Register 156,000 Davidson Pearce Koestler Awards 1,500 Boase Massimi Pollitt Partnership Fire Prevention 447,000 Charles Barker Probation Officer Recruitment 28,000