§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for racially aggravated offences under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; what percentage of these prosecutions involved defendants who were not white; and if he will make a statement. [111320]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeInformation available centrally indicates that 745 persons were prosecuted in magistrates courts in England and Wales for racially aggravated offences between October 1998 and June 1999. It is not possible centrally to identify those defendants that were not white.
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§ Ms Oona KingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures have been taken in the Metropolitan Police Service to ensure proper communication between uniform and CID officers in relation to serious racist crime. [111103]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police informs me that his principal specialist organisations in the systems for the investigation of racist crime are the Racial and Violent Crime Task Force and Borough-based Community Safety Units. All are staffed by both uniform and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers. In addition, a range of measures are in place throughout the Metropolitan police to ensure that all officers, both CID and uniform, involved in the investigation of racist crime work together using corporate documentation and methods.
§ Ms Oona KingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers of each rank have received anti-racism training; and how many of these have achieved minimum effective training levels. [111105]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Home Office manages a three year contract with a specialist consultant to deliver community and race relations training to the police, and it is expected that 1,760 officers will have been trained under the terms of this contract by the end of February. A breakdown of these officers in terms of rank is not available. This training incorporates the applicable Minimum Effective Training Level. Other anti-racism training is carried out in forces and by National Police Training, particularly for probationer constables: the total number of officers who have received such training during their careers is not recorded centrally.
§ Fiona MactaggartTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training has been provided to Victim Support volunteer visitors on providing appropriate support for ethnic minority victims of racist crime. [110282]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeVictim Support is an independent national charity which receives a substantial Home Office grant each year for its work in supporting victims of, and witnesses to, crime. Current grant conditions require Victim Support to continue to review how their work affects ethnic minorities, taking into account the recommendations of the Macpherson Report.
Responsibility for the operational implementation of these requirements rests with Victim Support.
I understand from the Chief Executive that Victim Support issued guidance to volunteers on racist crime in 1991 and 1996. And, following the Macpherson Inquiry, specialist training for volunteers dealing with racist incidents is to be developed and the general training for all volunteers is to be updated to include training on cultural diversity.
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been disciplined for using racist words or behaviour; how many have been dismissed following disciplinary action for such offences; and how many such disciplinary cases have been dismissed, since 1 April 1999. [110369]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe statistics of police misconduct cases in England and Wales for the 12 months from 1 April 1999 are not yet available.