§ Mr. John MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what has been the trend in burglaries in Greater London since the start of Operation Bumblebee; [21047]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Operation Eagle Eye. [21048]
§ Mr. MacleanThe commissioner's Operation Bumblebee initiative against burglary was launched across London on 1 June 1993. The main aims of the initiative are to reduce the incidence of burglary, convict offenders and to shift the fear of crime from the victim to the burglar. Since June 1993, there has been a fall of 12 per cent. in the number of reported burglaries in the Metropolitan police district and the clear-up rate has increased from 12 per cent. to 21 per cent.
Operation Eagle Eye, launched in the summer of 1995, targets street crime, one of the crimes that Londoners fear most. Operation Eagle Eye uses the tools of surveillance and intelligence-led policing to target known and suspected offenders in key hotspot areas. The initiative, which is being introduced and monitored in selected divisions, has been effective in stemming the rise in the level of street crime. Between 1992 and 1995, street crime in the Metropolitan police district was rising at an average annual compound rate of over 13 per cent. In 1996, the increase was only 5 per cent. The clear-up rate for street crime has nearly doubled between 1994 and 1996.
There is no doubt that innovative policing methods such as Operations Bumblebee and Eagle Eye have made a real impact on crime levels in the capital.