§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to implement zero tolerance policing as a formal policy; [45641]
289W(2) what assessment he has made of the cost implications of introducing a policy of zero tolerance policing; and if he will make a statement. [45617]
§ Mr. Michael"Zero tolerance" is a term which has been interpreted in different ways by different people. Ministers have used it to indicate an approach which involves early intervention to discourage crime and disorder at an early stage rather than waiting until anti-social activities have reached a serious level. We are clear that "zero tolerance" does not mean intolerance or indiscriminate crackdowns by the police against the wishes of the community. It means action for, and with the consent of, the community to address the sort of anti-social behaviour which adversely affects people's quality of life.
Many forces have adopted effective strategies to tackle those local crime and disorder problems which impact on the quality of life of their local communities. We have given our full support to such strategies, whether they operate under the term "zero tolerance" or not. The findings of Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary's thematic inspection report on police community and race relations, published in October 1997, showed that there is strong support for policing which involves effective targeted action on quality of life issues.
The Home Secretary's key objectives for the police in 1998–99 include tackling local problems of crime and disorder in partnership with local authorities, other local agencies and the public. The Home Office Police Research Group is conducting an evaluation of the range of approaches to counter anti-social behaviour, with a view to developing key indicators on reducing anti-social behaviour. Meanwhile, Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary is carrying out a thematic inspection of the policing of disorder.
290W
Performance against key performance indicators by prison, 1997–98 Prison name Category A escapes (KPl 1) Escapes (KPl 1) Assault rate (KPl 2) Per cent. Positive random drug testing rate (KPl 3)Per cent Purposeful hours per prisoner (KPl 5) Are standard/enhanced regime prisoners unlocked less than 10 hours on weekdays (KPl 6) Offending behaviour programme completions (KPl 7) Sex offender programme completions (KPl 7) Cost per Place2(KPl 8)£ Average training days per staff member(KPl 9) Acklington 0 1 0.9 29.0 25.5 Yes 50 29 13,376 6.5 Albany 0 0 1.4 7.5 24.0 Yes 143 51 19,625 7.5 Aldington 0 0 0.7 23.1 30.4 Yes 0 0 15,845 7.5 Altcourse 0 0 21.3 5— 24.5 Yes 0 0 1— 6— Ashwell 0 1 1.1 39.9 32.6 Yes 0 0 14,646 10.2 Askham Grange 0 0 0.0 13.9 41.8 Yes 0 0 17,512 6.6 Aylesbury 0 0 45.4 12.7 22.6 No 44 0 23,592 6.9 Bedford 0 0 11.0 36.1 25.6 Yes 0 0 20,141 6.3 Belmarsh 0 1 14.3 8.1 11.8 No 0 0 29,864 7.2 Birmingham 0 0 6.3 32.8 10.9 No 0 0 20,792 5.1 Blakenhurst 0 0 14.2 46.0 20.1 Yes 0 0 17,247 6— Blantyre House 0 0 0.0 5.6 34.2 Yes 36 0 17,709 8.3 Blundeston 0 0 6.5 25.9 23.2 Yes 0 0 19,948 5.8 Brinsford 0 0 28.2 17.9 15.3 No 0 0 18,256 7.2 Bristol 0 0 7.2 26.7 20.1 No 35 0 30,593 11.4 Brixton 0 1 8.9 14.9 17.1 Yes 81 23 21,603 4.7 Brockhill 0 0 16.3 30.5 30.7 Yes 0 0 27,394 4.6 Buckley Hall 0 1 4.5 38.4 32.8 Yes 0 0 16,957 6— Bullingdon 0 1 6.8 34.6 20.9 Yes 7 0 16,358 10.8 Bullwood Hall 0 0 21.3 20.0 21.6 Yes 0 0 30,183 10.7 Camp Hill 0 0 5.6 31.9 20.9 Yes 0 0 17,843 3.8 Canterbury 0 0 6.0 18.5 17.5 Yes 0 0 34,433 6.0 Cardiff 0 0 7.6 27.0 22.0 Yes 0 0 20,940 6.1 Castington 0 0 21.2 10.9 23.4 No 11 11 18,577 6.6 Channings Wood 0 0 1.5 20.0 29.6 Yes 53 39 15,403 6.7 Chelmsford 0 0 12.0 24.0 16.0 No 0 0 19,256 5.4 Colchester 0 0 14.4 19.4 433.93 No 0 0 31,300 11.8 We are also taking steps to tighten the law in a number of areas. The Crime and Disorder Bill will ensure that the criminal justice system is better equipped to deal with anti-social and disorderly behaviour, including petty criminality amongst young offenders. First anti-social behaviour orders will provide protection from harassment and neighbourhood disorder. They will prohibit specified conduct, and may be made on anyone over the age of 10. If their terms are breached, criminal sanctions will be available.
Secondly, joint responsibilities will be placed on the police and local authorities in every area to work in partnership with other agencies and in consultation with the local community to develop and implement strategies to reduce crime and disorder. Thirdly, the Bill includes a range of measures to prevent and tackle youth crime, including powers for local authorities to establish night-time curfews on children under 10 and a statutory police reprimand and warning scheme to replace cautioning for youngsters and ensure a swift, effective response to their offending.