§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the costs of false burglar alarm call-outs for each police force in England and Wales in each of the past three years. [14829]
§ Mr. MichaelThe information requested is not collected centrally. I understand that last year the Association of Chief Police Officers introduced a policy to reduce false alarms by 10 per cent. per year over four years. In 1996–97, false calls fell by 12.2 per cent. and the target is likely to be met again in 1997–98.