§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he expects targeted policing of areas to be implemented in respect of(a) the initial 20 areas and (b) other areas; [56180]
(2) what criteria will be used to select areas to be made subject to targeted policing. [56182]
§ Mr. BoatengWe are currently considering specific criteria on which the money to be made available for the projects forming the targeted policing element of the Crime Reduction Programme will be allocated. We will certainly be adopting an evidence-based approach to targeted action and expecting careful evaluation of the outcome of each project which is supported.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much additional funding is to be made available to police authorities in areas containing targeted policing initiatives; [56178]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of additional police officers required to implement targeted policing of areas. [56177]
§ Mr. BoatengThe value of targeting policing effort at identified problems as part of a strategy to reduce crime and disorder is that it enables chief officers to decide how to deploy their resources most effectively to that end. A pre-requisite is that the strategy should be evidence-based,184W that is based on an analysis of the local crime and associated problems and that policing tactics are adopted in the light of the analysis. The crime and disorder audits required by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 support this approach. Equally, our approach is output-driven and we will expect careful evaluation to demonstrate the extent to which crime is reduced as a result of any strategy and how that fits with the locally agreed targets for crime reduction. Experience around the country shows that targeted policing does not require additional police officers or other resources to be successful. However, to help forces develop this approach to crime reduction, we are making over £30 million available over the next three years for targeted policing projects as part of the crime reduction strategy.
This funding is in addition to the extra £1.24 billion which will be available to police authorities in England and Wales over the next three years under the Government's spending plans announced in the summer. This settlement, along with savings from the 2 per cent. year on year efficiency improvements which police forces will be asked to achieve, will help to ensure that more resources are focused on the front line against crime.