§ Mr. Mike O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to reduce the levels of those juvenile offences linked to substance abuse or drug or gambling addiction.
§ Mr. JackIt is not possible to estimate precisely how much juvenile crime is linked with substance abuse or drug addiction, although it is known that many offenders, including juvenile offenders, may have problems with alcohol or drugs, and all action to reduce misuse may, accordingly, help to prevent crime.
The Department of Health organises extensive publicity campaigns against the misuse of drugs and other substances. The national curriculum incorporates aspects of health education, including the dangers of drugs, 595W solvents and alcohol misuse. which schools are statutorily required to teach. The Home Office drugs prevention initiative, which was launched in 1989, has established 20 local drug prevention teams around Great Britain. The main purpose of the teams is to work with the community to promote the prevention of drug misuse and young people are targeted as the principal group at risk.
Home Office research has shown that there is no evidence of any association between the playing of amusement machines, which is the only form of gambling to which juveniles have ready access, and delinquency.
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on evidence from the Magistrates Association on the extent to which teenage offenders commit frequent crimes over a relatively short period as a result of a sudden traumatic incident in their lives; and if he will outline his proposals for dealing with such cases.
§ Mr. JackWe have noted the contents of the evidence to which the hon. Member refers. This is currently before the Home Affairs Select Committee for consideration in its inquiry. Courts and criminal justice agencies are already able to take account of the circumstances which give rise to offending behaviour in determining the most appropriate course of action in particular cases: relevant advice on this should be included in a pre-sentence report, which is required before imposing any custodial sentence in the magistrates or youth courts, or one of the more demanding community sentences.
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of cleared-up offences were committed by juveniles in 1979, 1981, 1985, 1991 and 1992;
(2) what is the amount of crime for which juveniles are known to have been responsible in 1979, 1985 and 1992;
(3) how many offences committed by juveniles were dealt with by way of caution in 1979 and 1992.
§ Mr. JackAlthough overall clear-up figures are collected centrally, it is not possible to separately identify those offences committed by juveniles.
Information on "known offenders"—those found guilty or cautioned—by age is published annually in chapter 5 of the Command Paper "Criminal statistics England and Wales". 1992 data will not be published until the autumn. Copies of the annual publication are available in the Library.
Table 2.21 Notifiable offences of fraud and forgery recorded by the police by offence England and Wales Number of offences Offence 51 52 53 60 61 Fraud by company director etc. False accounting Other Fraud forgery, or use of, false drug description Other forgery etc. Total fraud and forgery Offences recorded 1981 30 2,415 96,065 964 7,197 106,671 1982 24 2,667 111,290 987 8,133 123,101 1983 45 2,292 109,615 976 8,863 121,791 1984 71 1,883 112,214 1,070 10,855 126,093 1985 37 1,823 120,758 880 11,269 134,767 1986 25 1,854 120,923 912 9,717 133,431 1987 43 1,816 119,893 1,114 10,110 132,976