§ 27. Ms SouthworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he is making on tackling crimes of violence in Northern Ireland. [129886]
§ Mr. IngramFigures on violent crime for the period April 1999 to March 2000 show an increase of 12.6 per cent. on the number of offences recorded for the same period during 1998–99. The total number of violent crimes cleared during 1999–2000 increased by 25.3 per cent. compared with the previous year. Overall the clearance rate for violent crime rose from 55.7 per cent. in 1998–99 to 62 per cent. during 1999–2000. The ongoing progress being made by the RUC towards moving to `intelligence-led policing' will, it is believed, assist in tackling the problem of violent crime.