§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the robbery/burglary squad at Wandsworth police was abolished; and for what reason. [156171]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe deployment of resources and arrangements put in place to fight crime are operational matters for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and the Divisional Commander for the Wandsworth Division.
I understand from the Commissioner that the Wandsworth Division's Robbery/Burglary Squad was reformed on 1 March 2000 into a new Crime Squad with the objective that it should concentrate on proactive investigation of robbery and burglary by the application of intelligence led methods. I am told that the Wandsworth division's more proactive approach to robbery and burglary has resulted in a number of suspects being arrested and remanded into custody, and that there has been a notable drop in offences as a result.