§ Lord Gladwin of Cleeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What objectives they will be determining for policing in 2000–2001. [HL143]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton)The Police Act 1996 allows my right honourable friend the Home Secretary to set objectives, or Ministerial Priorities, for policing. The objectives for 2000–2001 will be:
To reduce local problems of crime and disorder in partnership with local authorities, other local agencies and the public; and
To increase trust and confidence in policing amongst minority ethnic communities.
My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has reduced the number of Priorities from four to two. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary believes this helps to focus attention on two key areas of policing—reducing crime and rising to the challenges of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report.