§ Mr. Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he intends taking to increase public confidence in, and awareness of, the Crimestoppers system of reporting suspected criminals; and if he will make a statement. [116465]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Government fully recognise the valuable work that Crimestoppers does to help in the fight against crime. Ministers attend Crimestoppers Trust events to support its work as other commitments allow. At the recent London Board of Crimestoppers annual dinner, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary expressed his belief that all Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships should be aware of the potential benefits of involving Crimestoppers in their work when drawing up strategies. I intend to host a small seminar to discuss the possibilities of voluntary sector organisations such as Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch working more closely together at local level to identify ways of increasing a more co-operative approach.
§ Mr. Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested in each of the last five years as a result of information supplied to Crimestoppers; and if he will break down the categories of offence in respect of the most recent year for which figures are available. [116466]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeAccording to information supplied by Crimestoppers Trust, the number of people arrested and charged for each of the last five years as a result of information supplied to Crimestoppers was as follows:
143W
Year Arrested and charged 1995 3,355 1996 4,347 1997 4,726 1998 5,169 1999 5,300 These figures can be broken down into the following categories for 1999:
Crime Total arrested and charged Murder 38 Attempted murder 22 Rape 13 Robbery 202 Assault 181 Burglary 338 Firearms 28 Handling stolen goods 209 Drugs 2,308 Arson 34 Theft 410 Vehicle crime 667 Sexual assault 18 Fraud 141 Other crimes 691 Total 5,300 The total number of people arrested and charged as a result of information supplied to Crimestoppers for the period 1 January 2000 to 29 February 2000 is given as 842.
§ Mr. Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions he has met representatives of Crimestoppers. [116467]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeMost recently, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary attended the London Board of Crimestoppers' annual dinner on 14 March and attended a lunch to promote Crimestoppers to the Asian Community in October 1998. In addition, Ministerial colleagues attended the Crimestoppers' Tenth Anniversary Ball in December 1998 and intend to visit the Crimestoppers Trust Head Offices in Putney in the next few months.
§ Mr. Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was allocated by the Government to fund Crimestoppers in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available. [116468]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeNo funding has been allocated by the Government to Crimestoppers in the last five financial years.