§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy towards the relative priority, within the overall objective of maintaining law and order, accorded by police for surveillance operations targeted towards arresting gay and bisexual men For alleged unlawful sexual acts, exposure or soliciting; and what is his assessment of the cost effectiveness of this use of police manpower.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe police investigate all allegations of crime. The priority and level of resources given to different kinds of investigation are operational matters for chief officers.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the average fine for a first offence of indecency between males, gross indecency involving two men over the age of 21 years in a discreet public place; and what information he has as to the average fines imposed by Epsom magistrates and Crown courts on men convicted of this offence since July.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation on the number of first offences committed and on the location of offences is not collected centrally. Following the Sexual Offences Act 1967 an offence is not committed if two persons over the age of 21 are involved and the act took place in private.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the number of arrests and subsequent convictions in the last full year, by police force, arising from surveillance operations targeted towards alleged sexual offences by gay and bisexual men.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe information is not recorded centrally. The police investigate all allegations of crime; measures to detect crime are operational matters for chief officers.