Crime Prevention (Hansard, 22 April 1988)

§ Mr. John Patten

[holding answer 19 April]: A wide range of crime prevention initiatives are successfully underway to both national and local level. The energy and enthusiasm of those concerned is evident and we are determined that this should be further encouraged and that where initiatives are successful in preventing crime and in reducing the fear of crime, experience and good practice is made known to all.

At national level, the ministerial group on crime prevention and the standing conference on crime prevention have important roles in co-ordinating policies and exchanging ideas. The new national crime prevention publicity campaign, launched last month, will run for the next three years. The handbook, "Practical Ways to Crack Crime", launched as part of the campaign, is full of practical crime prevention measures for all members and sectors of the community.

To support and encourage local crime prevention activity, including neighbourhood watch, we will shortly announce details of a new crime prevention organisation.

Our safer cities programme, launched last month as part of the Government's action for cities initiative, will build on and take further a wide range of earlier work which has shown what can be done to prevent crime by concerted and determined local action. Twenty safer cities projects will be established over a three year period in high crime urban areas.

The Public Order Act 1986 strengthened the law on public order in many respects. We have put before Parliament proposals to improve controls on the possession of firearms and shotguns, to prohibit the sale of specified offensive weapons, and to make it an offence to be in possession of a knife in a public place without good reason. We shall continue to strengthen the police to enable them to deal effectively with public order offences as well as other crimes.