§ Mr. KaufmanTo ask the Solicitor-General if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Manchester, Gorton constituency, of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [136167]
The Solicitor-GeneralIn October 1999, in line with national policy, the City of Manchester Branch of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), in liaison with the police and Manchester City Magistrates Court, introduced the Narey proposals. All defendants charged with a criminal offence now make their first appearance before Manchester City Magistrates Court within 72 hours. Present figures would suggest that between 40 per cent. and 45 per cent. of all defendants now have their cases finalised far more quickly than previously was the case. On 13 November 2000, the City of Manchester Branch will be altering its structures in line with the proposals in the Glidewell review. This will enable the CPS to place greater emphasis on more serious crime in Manchester Crown Court. The CPS, together with other agencies, has also helped to draw up procedures and protocols to speed up youth justice, particularly persistent young offenders.
Since May 1997, the Crown Prosecution Service has successfully prosecuted a number of major cases arising in the Gorton area. In November 1997, James Patterson Smith was sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of Kelly Ann Bates in Furnival Road, Gorton the previous year. This year the CPS has successfully completed prosecutions arising out of Operation Sydney, involving the supply of hard drugs in the Bennett Street area of West Gorton, and Operation Peking, where four men received substantial custodial sentences for violence and intimidation in Gorton.