§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he has taken to encourage the(a) use of community beat officers and (b) assigning of named officers to patrol neighbourhoods; and if he will make a statement. [142617]
§ Mr. Charles Clarke[holding answer 15 December 2000]: The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 put police participation in local crime and disorder partnerships on a statutory footing and the Government have made it clear that they see this local partnership approach as the way forward in fighting crime. The use of community beat officers is an important part of delivering this. In his thematic inspections "Winning the Race" and "Winning the Race Revisited", in 1997 and 1999, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary endorsed the use of community beat officers responsible for problem solving within their local areas. Progress on implementing those recommendations will be assessed in a further thematic inspection report to be published in January.