HC Deb 18 January 2001 vol 361 cc360-76W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the offences punishable by a fine at(a) level one, (b) level two, (c) level three, (d) level four and (e) level five on the standard scale. [146040]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The information is not available in the form requested and could be produced in that form only at disproportionate cost. However, I am placing in the Library a copy of a booklet entitled "Criminal Statistics, Volume III, Part 1, Appendix 1, Part 1, For Court Proceedings and Cautions—2001 CODES" which lists, for each offence separately identified, the maximum sentence in both magistrates courts and the Crown court. The document does not list all offences since many, mainly summary, offences are grouped and their maximum sentences are not, therefore, separately identifiable.

Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for the most recent year for which figures are available, the number of convictions for each criminal offence which were punished by fine at level(a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, and (e) five on the standard scale. [146041]

Mr. Charles Clarke

Limited available data, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database are given in the table.

Offences are grouped together by using the main Home Office classification definition, as produced within the more detailed "Criminal statistics, England and Wales,

Number of offenders fined for all offences at all courts by offence and amount of fine, England and Wales, 1999
Amount of fine
Offence description Up to and including £200 Over £200 and up to and including £500 Over £500 and up to and including £1,000 Over £1,000 and up to and including £2,500 Over £2,500 and up to and including £5,000 Over £5,000 Total fined
3. Threat or Conspiracy to Murder 8 5 1 14
4–4. Causing Death by Dangerous Driving 1 3 2 6
5. Wounding or other Act Endangering Life 25 9 34
6. Endangering Railway Passenger 3 8 1 1 13
7. Endangering Life at Sea 1 1 2
8. Other Wounding etc. 3,496 766 83 23 1 4,369
11. Cruelty to or Neglect of Children 8 1 9
12. Abandoning Child aged under Two Years 1 1
13. Child Abduction 1 1 2
16. Buggery 1 1 2
17. Indecent Assault on a Male 4 8 1 13
18. Indecency between males 40 9 49
20. Indecent Assault on a Female 33 44 2 79
21. Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Girl under 13 1 1
22. Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Girl under 16 3 4 7
23. Incest 1 1
24. Procuration 4 2 3 2 11
26. Bigamy 2 1 3
27. Soliciting by a Man 9 1 10
28. Burglary in a Dwelling 223 52 3 2 280
30. Burglary in a Building Other than a Dwelling 684 127 8 2 821
33. Going equipped for stealing, etc. 343 22 1 1 367
34. Robbery 8 2 2 1 1 14
36. Kidnapping, etc. 1 1
37–2. Aggravated Vehicle Taking 140 46 4 1 191
39. Theft from the Person of Another 731 76 7 2 816
40. Theft in Dwelling not Automatic M/c or Meter 158 8 2 168
41. Theft by an Employee 321 81 4 1 1 408
42. Theft or Unauthorised Taking from Mail 21 1 22
43 Abstracting Electricity 236 17 3 1 1 258
44. Theft of Pedal Cycle 256 8 264
45. Theft from Vehicle 908 48 1 957
46. Theft from Shops 21,078 428 19 4 21,529
47. Theft from Automatic Machine or Meter 118 6 124
48. Theft or Unauthorised Taking of Motor Vehicle 137 16 1 154
49. Other Theft or Unauthorised Taking 3,730 227 15 1 1 3,974
52. False Accounting 84 38 5 1 4 132
53. Other Fraud 2,541 252 37 11 7 2,848
54. Handling Stolen Goods 2,568 329 41 11 8 1 2,958
55. Bankruptcy Offence 6 20 12 4 2 1 45
56. Arson 25 4 29
57. Criminal Damage Endangering Life 6 1 7
58. Other Criminal Damage 1,615 135 9 1 1 1,761
59. Threat etc., to commit Criminal Damage 65 5 1 71
60. Forgery etc. of Drug Prescription 22 4 1 27
61. Other Forgery etc. 354 87 11 6 1 1 460
65. Violent Disorder 15 16 7 38
66. Other Offence against the State or Public Order 594 304 48 11 5 962
67. Perjury 8 4 1 1 14
74. Gross Indecency with Children 1 1 2
75. Betting, Gaming and Lotteries 8 1 2 2 13
79. Perverting the Course of Justice 46 20 8 1 1 76
80. Absconding from Lawful Custody 7 4 11
81. Firearms Act Offence 305 95 17 2 419
82. Revenue Law Offence 2 7 4 4 1 18
83. Failing to Surrender to Bail 15,982 33 4 16,019
84. Trade Descriptions Act and Similar Offences 248 244 118 68 29 4 711
85. Health and Safety at Work etc, Act 1974 37 102 125 208 194 242 908
86. Possession of Obscene Material etc. 74 35 17 3 1 130
87. Protection from Eviction Act 1977 3 3 2 2 10
89. Adulteration of Food 45 82 42 30 19 11 229
91. Public Health 175 164 94 92 51 25 601

Supplementary tables", a copy of which I have placed in the Library. To try to identify by individual offence would be disproportionate to cost.

Number of offenders fined for all offences at all courts by offence and amount of fine, England and Wales, 1999
Amount of fine
Offence description Up to and including £200 Over £200 and up to and including £500 Over £500 and up to and including £1,000 Over £1,000 and up to and including £2,500 Over £2,500 and up to and including £5,000 Over £5,000 Total fined
94. Town and Country Planning Act 1990 63 72 43 31 22 4 235
99. Other (Excluding Motoring Offences) 268 218 114 129 69 43 841
99A. Dangerous Driving 359 325 109 17 2 812
99B. Fraud, Forgery etc. associated with Vehicle or Driver Records 3,161 339 43 9 1 3.553
a. Unlawful importation of Drugs-Class A 13 1 1 15
b. Unlawful importation of Drugs-Class B 28 11 2 41
c. Unlawful importation of Drugs-Class C 3 3
d. Unlawful importation of Drugs-Class unspecified 25 2 1 1 29
e. Unlawful exportation of Drugs-Class A 1 1
f. Unlawful exportation of Drugs-Class B 3 3
h. Unlawful exportation of Drugs-Class unspecified 4 4
i. Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug-Class A 70 29 2 2 1 104
j. Production, supply etc.-Class B 747 106 28 6 1 888
k. Production, supply etc.-Class C 8 2 10
1. Production, supply etc.-Class unspecified 4 1 1 6
m. Possession of a controlled drug-Class A 3,677 542 26 12 1 4,258
n. Possession of a controlled drug-Class B 17,194 327 17 1 17,539
o. Possession of a controlled drug-Class C 66 66
p. Possession of a controlled drug-Class unspecified 27 27
q. Other drug offences 194 18 1 213
101. Adulteration of Food, Drug, etc. 2 2 1 5
104. Assault on Constable 3,836 288 18 1 4,143
105. Common assault, etc. 4,501 753 41 11 5,306
106. Betting or Gaming Offence 6 6
107. Brothel Keeping 6 12 4 1 23
108. Cruelty to Animal 332 113 37 17 6 505
110. Diseases of Animals Act 15 13 11 2 2 43
111. Offences Relating to Dogs 635 17 2 2 656
112. Education Acts 3,659 199 20 3,878
113. Explosives Acts 6 8 2 1 2 19
115. Firearms Acts 151 30 4 3 88
116. Fishery Acts 2,563 41 6 5 3 2,618
117. Friendly Societies Acts 3 1 4
118. Night Poaching 33 3 36
119. Day Poaching 207 34 241
120. Unlawful Possession of Game, etc. 5 5
121. Other Offence against Game Law 23 23
122. Obstruction Other than by Vehicle 660 40 5 1 706
123. Nuisance Other than by Vehicle 1,674 11 3 1 1,689
124. Other Highways Act Offence 179 54 8 241
125. Public Order Act 1986 15,401 1,105 48 4 2 1 16,561
126. Interference with Motor Vehicles 508 38 1 547
130. Unauthorised Taking of a Conveyance 928 113 6 1 1,048
131. Summary Aggravated Vehicle Taking 80 30 1 111
135. Horsedrawn Vehicle 30 3 2 1 36
136. Handcart or Barrow 1 1
137. Pedal Cycle 967 5 972
139 Indecent Exposure 97 25 122
140. Drunkenness, Simple 2,631 9 2,640
141. Drunkenness, with Aggravation 19,798 39 5 4 1 2 19,849
142. Offence by Licensed Person, etc. 182 78 8 1 269
143. Other Offence against the Liquor Law 91 21 7 3 122
144. Selling Tobacco to Juvenile 66 24 4 3 97
147 Employment of Children Acts 56 56
148. Other Offence against the Labour Law 1 1 2
149. Summary Criminal or Malicious Damage Offence 7,606 375 7 2 7,990
150. Merchant Shipping Acts 3 3
151. Social Security Offence 1,216 188 17 6 1,427
152. Social Security Act 1 1
153. Military Law-Army 5 5
155. Military Law-Air Force 2 2
156. Park, Common or Other Open Space Offence 731 3 1 1 736
160. Pedlars Act 95 95
161. Certain Local regulations-Allowing Chimney to be on Fire 1 1 2

Number of offenders fined for all offences at all courts by offence and amount of fine, England and Wales, 1999
Amount of fine
Offence description Up to and including £200 Over £200 and up to and including £500 Over £500 and up to and including £1,000 Over £1,000 and up to and including £2,500 over £2,500 and up to and including £5,000 Over £5,000 Total fined
162. Disorderly Behaviour 1,258 5 1,263
163. Playing in Street 120 5 125
164. Other Offence 4,305 185 31 3 3 4,527
165. Kerb Crawling 513 110 623
166. Offence by Prostitute 2,880 7 2,887
167. Aiding, etc. Offence by Prostitute 1 1
168. Public Health Offence 850 340 134 70 41 6 1,441
169. Railway Offence 14,428 206 5 2 1 14,642
170. Motor Vehicle Licence 140,878 14,745 699 74 37 9 156,442
172. Other Offence Against Revenue Law 5,095 949 62 20 9 1 6,136
173. Stage Carriage or Public Service Vehicle Offence 6,354 150 16 1 1 6,522
179. Sunday Trading, etc. 1 1
181. Unlawful Possession 11 11 3 1 1 27
182. Begging 1,300 1 1,301
183. Sleeping Out 14 14
185. Found in Enclosed Premises 160 5 1 1 167
188. Other Vagrancy Offences 3 3
189. Weights and Measures Acts 34 14 6 4 1 59
190. Wild Birds Protection Acts 46 56 5 2 109
191. Wireless Telegraphy Acts 48,746 5,982 66 1 9 54,804
192. Video Recording Act 1984 14 11 5 3 3 36
193. Drug Offence 1 1 2
194. Immigration Offence 6 4 1 11
195. Other Summary Offence (Excluding Motoring) 9,567 910 221 119 36 15 10,868
All summary motoring offences 435,173 103,106 25,756 1,107 62 54 565,258
of which:
Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs: 34,535 24,436 2,946 364 16 1 62,298
Careless driving: 31,203 3,126 131 12 2 34,474
Accident offences: 4,071 876 36 1 4,984
Driving licence related offences: 13,665 718 117 25 4 7 14,536
Vehicle insurance offences: 98,958 36,308 17,568 411 8 17 153,270
Vehicle registration and excise licence offences: 8,523 653 35 12 5 6 9,234
Work record and employment offences: 3,714 1,215 231 19 6 5,185
Operator's licence offences: 552 651 275 4 1 1,483
Vehicle test offences: 19,797 147 31 6 2 19,983
Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition: 12,755 852 182 32 3 1 13,825
Speed limit offences: 118,262 24.099 2,534 17 7 13 144,932
Motorway offences (other than speeding): 1,180 157 3 1,340
Neglect of traffic directions: 23,844 1,112 71 1 1 182 25,029
Neglect of pedestrian rights: 4,044 59 2 4,105
Obstruction, waiting and parking offences: 13,538 352 84 1 1 1 13,977
Lighting offences: 3,762 22 2 3,786
Noise offences: 984 13 1 998
Load offences: 5,135 3,097 1,438 187 2 3 9,862
Offences peculiar to Motor Cycles: 172 172
Miscellaneous motoring offences: 36,479 5,213 69 16 5 3 41,785
Total all offences 824,228 136,485 28,445 2, 82 637 443 992,420

Note:

For any given year it is not possible to eliminate all of the errors on the Home Office Court Proceedings Database. Hence the table may show offenders receiving fines in excess of the maximum sentence possible for the offences covered by a particular offence classification.

Paddy Ashdown

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the levels of crime in Somerset were for each of the years 1979 to 2000, broken down by the major categories of notifiable offences; and in each case what the clear-up rate was. [144647]

Recorded crimes—Somerset
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1997–981 1998–991 (old rules) 1998–991,2 (new rules) 1999–20001
Violence against person 1,337 1,746 1,938 2,183 2,514 2,872 3,004 3,598 3,592
Sexual offences 229 255 310 252 282 320 251 249 205
Burglary dwell. 4,027 3,492 3,796 4,033 3,106 3,116 2,626 2,623 2,955

Mr. Charles Clarke

The information requested, for part of a police force area, is not held centrally. The details given in the tables have been provided by the Avon and Somerset constabulary, and are available for the years from 1993 onwards.

Recorded crimes—Somerset
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1997–981 1998–991 (old rules) 1998–991.2 (new rules) 1999–20001
Burglary other 6,163 5,068 4.544 4,267 4,301 4,369 4,205 4,218 4,309
Robbery 102 114 150 146 117 135 132 133 224
Theft and handling 22,288 21,800 20,401 19.963 18,419 18,321 16,676 17,027 16,822
Fraud and forgery 898 898 792 884 775 753 832 899 1,228
Criminal damage 5,241 6,347 5,877 6,161 5,537 5,858 6,333 6,624 6,596
Drugs 118 170 167 127 119 123 85 599 624
Other 78 101 85 107 91 102 177 295 296
Somerset Total 40,481 39,991 38.060 38,117 35,261 35,969 34,321 36,265 36,851

Clear-ups rate of recorded crime—Somerset
Percentage
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1997–981 1998–991 (old rules) 1998–991.2 (new rules) 1999–20003
Violence against person 87 82 88 88 86 84 82 82 74
Sexual offences 79 82 84 91 74 74 77 78 72
Burglary dwell. 17 23 15 19 24 25 16 16 17
Burglary other 10 13 12 13 13 13 9 9 8
Robbery 34 38 36 41 32 24 25 25 20
Theft and handling 15 16 19 19 19 17 17 17 14
Fraud and forgery 49 54 53 62 53 50 58 59 36
Criminal damage 18 17 19 21 21 21 20 19 18
Drugs 104 96 101 102 92 94 99 95 96
Other 99 94 93 98 87 83 88 76 70
Somerset Total 19 21 23 24 25 25 24 26 23
1 Year ending March
2 Owing to the change in counting rules on 1 April 1998, figures before and after this date cannot be directly compared
3 Owing to a change in the counting rules for clear-ups, figures before and after 1 April 1999 cannot be directly compared

Paddy Ashdown

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the incidence of crime in(a) rural and (b) urban areas since May 1997. [144618]

Mr. Charles Clarke

I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the question the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo) on 9 November 2000,Official Report, column 404W, and to the reply given to the question by my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Mr. Levitt) on 13 November 2000, Official Report, column 538W.

The replies to these questions provide information derived from the British Crime Survey (BCS) on the level and trends in rural and urban crime. BCS incident rates for crime show that over the last decade there has been consistently less crime in rural areas than urban areas. The BCS also shows that between 1997 and 1999 crime has declined, in proportionate terms, at a similar or greater rate in rural areas than in other areas.

BCS incident rates 1991–99 for burglary, vehicle-related thefts and violent crime
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
Burglary incidents per 10,000 households
Rural 368 481 468 429 343
Non-rural 781 976 938 859 662
Vehicle-related thefts per 10,000 vehicle owning households
Rural 1,660 1,983 2,052 1,503 1,207
Non-rural 2,912 3,152 3,006 2,368 1,947

BCS incident rates 1991–99 for burglary, vehicle-related thefts and violent crime
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
Violent crime incident rates per 10,000 adults
Rural 396 511 621 597 462
Non-rural 739 1,017 1,108 887 876

Notes:

For the purposes of BCS analyses, rural areas are identified by according ACORN—(A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods) categories. ACORN classifies households according to the demographic, employment and housing characteristics of the surrounding neighbourhood. Rural areas are defined as those areas falling into Acorn types 1 to 9, and 27.

Source:

British Crime Survey 1992–2000.

Tackling crime and the fear of crime in all areas, including rural areas, remains a high priority for this Government. Our approach in all areas is to assist the police and the local crime and disorder partnerships to address local crime effectively.

The Home Office announced on 15 June 2000 that rural police forces were to benefit this year from an additional £15 million from the police modernisation fund. The money rises to £30 million next year, and is intended to help the police to meet the extra costs involved in policing rural areas. The money is in addition to the crime fighting fund, which is providing for an increase in police numbers across the board. It will make a real difference to the policing and crime reduction in rural districts, in particular by helping to increase the visibility of the police in those areas.

Paddy Ashdown

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in the United Kingdom have been unlawfully killed since 1971; and if he will make a statement. [144624]

Unlawful killings
Year Homicide total Child destruction Causing death by reckless/dangerous driving1 Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking Overall total
1970 393 0 685 0 1,078
1971 459 1 728 0 1,188
1972 476 0 753 0 1,229
1973 465 1 769 0 1,235
1974 600 2 654 0 1,256
1975 515 0 690 0 1,205
1976 565 0 595 0 1,160
1977 482 1 602 0 1,085
1978 532 2 313 0 847
1979 629 2 225 0 856
1980 620 2 235 0 857
1981 558 1 234 0 793
1982 618 0 269 0 887
1983 550 0 189 0 739
1984 621 0 223 0 844
1985 616 1 258 0 875
1986 661 0 232 0 893
1987 688 2 292 0 982
1988 624 8 339 0 971
1989 641 2 393 0 1,036
1990 669 0 419 0 1,088
1991 725 2 416 0 1,143
1992 687 0 277 19 983
1993 670 3 292 17 982
1994 726 7 278 14 1,025
1995 745 8 242 21 1,016
1996 679 2 320 34 1,035
1997 739 5 291 12 1,047
1997–982 748 6 325 18 1,097
1998–992 750 9 349 30 1,138
1998–992 765 1 317 37 1,120
April-September 2000 445 0 169 23 637
1 From 1 December 1997, the offences which qualified as causing death by reckless driving were reduced.
2 Years ending March

370 Paddy Ashdown

Mr. Charles Clarke

Under the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (as re-enacted by the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000) which came into effect on 1 December 1999, a mandatory prison sentence of three years minimum duration was introduced for third-time domestic burglary offenders.

An offender would have to be apprehended, prosecuted and convicted on three separate occasions since 1 December 1999 to be subject to the mandatory sentence. Such action is likely to take some time.

The Home Office's court proceedings databases for 1999 and for the first three-quarters of 2000 (which are provisional) show that no such sentences have yet been recorded.

Mr. Charles Clarke

The information requested for England and Wales is given in the table and relates to numbers of recorded crimes. Information relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Paddy Ashdown

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of notifiable offences were committed by young men between the ages of 14 and 24 years in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [144619]

Mr. Charles Clarke

Details of the number of notifiable offences committed by age and sex of offender are not available.

However, information held centrally on the Home Office court proceedings database, showing the number of male offenders aged 14–24 who have been cautioned or convicted of indictable offences, is given in the table.

Males aged 14–24 cautioned and or convicted at all courts for indictable offences: numbers and as a proportion of all offenders, England and Wales, 1997 to 1999
Males aged 14–24 Total all offenders
Number Percentage Number Percentage
1997 223,606 44 509,411 100
1998 228,349 43 533,456 100
1999 218,665 43 512,574 100

Paddy Ashdown

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) violent crime offences, (b) car crime offences, (c) robberies, (d) burglaries, (e) thefts and (f) criminal damage offences there were per 1,000 head of population for each police force area within England and Wales in each of the last three years. [144622]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The readily available information, for the calendar year 1997 and the financial years 1998–99 and 1999–2000, is given in the tables. Owing to the change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, the figures for the first year given are not directly comparable with the latter two years. The change in counting rules for recorded crime particularly impacted on violence against the person, which is included in the violent crime category.

Violent crime (violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery). Recorded offences per 100,000 population
Police force 1997 1998–99 1999–2000
Avon and Somerset 830 1,014 1,079
Bedfordshire 823 1,026 1,100
Cambridgeshire 584 872 980
Cheshire 468 776 675
Cleveland 609 762 769
Cumbria 644 1,199 1,107
Derbyshire 651 991 1,149
Devon and Cornwall 502 844 892
Dorset 372 484 584
Durham 396 883 968
Essex 382 620 749
Gloucestershire 371 688 871
Greater Manchester 847 1,774 1,982
Hampshire 554 809 988
Hertfordshire 335 446 509
Humberside 875 1,237 1,218
Kent 573 897 933
Lancashire 390 855 814
Leicestershire 739 1,261 1,397
Lincolnshire 566 772 701
Merseyside 784 1,112 1,294
Metropolitan Police District1 1,157 2,186 2,640
Norfolk 459 790 898
Northamptonshire 610 982 957
Northumbria 453 1,033 1,118
North Yorkshire 393 718 755
Nottinghamshire 993 1,387 1,588
South Yorkshire 472 629 719
Staffordshire 775 1,055 1,379
Suffolk 452 655 881
Surrey 394 626 775
Sussex 514 1,117 1,264
Thames Valley 416 623 788
Warwickshire 327 482 509
West Mercia 377 707 806
West Midlands 675 1,533 2,094
West Yorkshire 593 1,020 1,071
Wiltshire 487 832 848
Dyfed-Powys 525 1,054 1,218
Gwent 1,104 2,151 2,601
North Wales 483 787 952
South Wales 670 1,018 1,129
England and Wales 667 1,160 1,341
1 Including the City of London

Car crime (theft of and from vehicles). Recorded offences per 100,000 population
Police force 1997 1998–99 1999–2000
Avon and Somerset 2,843 2,559 2,312
Bedfordshire 2,333 2,309 2,595
Cambridgeshire 2,182 1,858 1,729

Car crime (theft of and from vehicles). Recorded offences per 100,000 population
Police force 1997 1998–99 1999–2000
Cheshire 1,362 1,267 1,237
Cleveland 2,842 2,573 2,342
Cumbria 1,469 1,316 1,098
Derbyshire 2,015 2,100 1,868
Devon and Cornwall 1,506 1,435 1,375
Dorset 1,689 1,789 1,653
Durham 1,827 1,653 1,502
Essex 1,472 1,463 1,332
Gloucestershire 2,471 2,002 1,838
Greater Manchester 3,232 3,390 3,412
Hampshire 1,587 1,386 1,319
Hertfordshire 1,854 1,528 1,432
Humberside 2,963 2,871 2,478
Kent 1,988 1,871 1,427
Lancashire 1,906 1,647 1,459
Leicestershire 2,154 2,211 2,039
Lincolnshire 1,238 1,121 1,103
Merseyside 1,993 2,146 2,394
Metropolitan Police District1 2,125 2,146 2,284
Norfolk 1,530 1,384 1,320
Northamptonshire 2,328 2,305 1,990
Northumbria 2,265 2,057 1,838
North Yorkshire 1,595 1,307 1,158
Nottinghamshire 2,806 2,612 2,396
South Yorkshire 2,728 2,553 2,264
Staffordshire 1,951 1,836 1,658
Suffolk 1,011 967 969
Surrey 1,160 906 948
Sussex 1,777 1,703 1,677
Thames Valley 2,412 2,351 2,404
Warwickshire 2,051 1,779 1,701
West Mercia 1,693 1,436 1,385
West Midlands 2,996 2,818 2,931
West Yorkshire 2,802 3,036 2,759
Wiltshire 1,268 1,128 1,090
Dyfed-Powys 498 519 460
Gwent 1,735 1,750 1,634
North Wales 1,206 1,106 1,141
South Wales 3,234 2,967 2,667
England and Wales 2,149 2,064 1,991
1 Including the City of London

Robbery. Recorded offences per 100,000 population
Police force 1997 1998–99 1999–2000
Avon and Somerset 106 124 160
Bedfordshire 97 96 110
Cambridgeshire 50 61 76
Cheshire 33 40 47
Cleveland 91 163 151
Cumbria 21 24 18
Derbyshire 41 52 60
Devon and Cornwall 25 30 31
Dorset 30 30 35
Durham 23 28 39
Essex 29 34 41
Gloucestershire 66 49 52
Greater Manchester 244 297 335
Hampshire 32 33 41
Hertfordshire 33 29 48
Humberside 85 95 108
Kent 46 45 53
Lancashire 59 69 74
Leicestershire 95 104 110
Lincolnshire 17 24 29
Merseyside 151 176 189
Metropolitan Police District1 362 346 473
Norfolk 24 28 38
Northamptonshire 69 73 78
Northumbria 88 94 97
North Yorkshire 27 23 29

Robbery. Recorded offences per 100,000 population
Police force 1997 1998–99 1999–2000
Nottinghamshire 111 127 171
South Yorkshire 73 75 86
Staffordshire 47 48 66
Suffolk 21 21 33
Surrey 25 22 28
Sussex 46 63 68
Thames Valley 61 64 79
Warwickshire 29 34 44
West Mercia 26 31 32
West Midlands 255 278 384
West Yorkshire 128 146 146
Wiltshire 28 33 43
Dyfed-Powys 7 9 6
Gwent 28 31 39
North Wales 17 19 22
South Wales 41 41 42
England and Wales 121 128 161
1 Including the City of London

Burglary. Recorded offences per 100,000 population
Police force 1997 1998–99 1999–2000
Avon and Somerset 2,127 1,975 1,868
Bedfordshire 1,619 1,291 1,422
Cambridgeshire 1,801 1,791 1,720
Cheshire 1,362 1,336 1,301
Cleveland 2,946 2,973 2,808
Cumbria 1,400 1,181 1,107
Derbyshire 1,799 1,732 1,602
Devon and Cornwall 1,298 1,148 1,110
Dorset 1,237 1,338 1,225
Durham 2,008 1,666 1,494
Essex 1,078 985 976
Gloucestershire 2,078 1,808 1,670
Greater Manchester 2,944 3,079 2,924
Hampshire 1,166 1,125 1,060
Hertfordshire 1,082 958 989
Humberside 4,079 3,862 3,650
Kent 1,653 1,467 1,253
Lancashire 1,960 1,700 1,497
Leicestershire 2,022 1,853 1,683
Lincolnshire 1,713 1,656 1,720
Merseyside 1,849 1,875 1,819
Metropolitan Police District1 1,869 1,633 1,685
Norfolk 1,407 1,297 1,296
Northamptonshire 1,884 1,993 1,835
Northumbria 2,411 2,211 1,856
North Yorkshire 1,546 1,523 1,401
Nottinghamshire 2,903 2,789 2,565
South Yorkshire 2,870 2,635 2,485
Staffordshire 2,228 1,923 1,805
Suffolk 921 936 926
Surrey 965 883 844
Sussex 1,399 1,407 1,297
Thames Valley 1,521 1,474 1,486
Warwickshire 1,658 1,601 1,528
West Mercia 1,461 1,299 1,260
West Midlands 2,930 2,685 2,617
West Yorkshire 3,209 3,205 2,787
Wiltshire 1,072 1,023 944
Dyfed-Powys 543 547 432
Gwent 1,646 1,511 1,374
North Wales 1,152 1,102 1,048
South Wales 2,203 1,916 1,625
England and Wales 1,952 1,826 1,729
1 Including the City of London

Theft and handling stolen goods (includes theft of and from vehicles). Recorded offences per 100,000 population
Police force 1997 1998–99 1999–2000
Avon and Somerset 5,093 4,875 4,778
Bedfordshire 4,305 4,089 4,516
Cambridgeshire 4,555 4,486 4,456
Cheshire 2,839 2,742 2,758
Cleveland 5,614 5,713 5,442
Cumbria 3,304 3,354 2,980
Derbyshire 3,604 3.806 3,713
Devon and Cornwall 3,125 3,209 3,116
Dorset 3,382 3,490 3,423
Durham 3,391 3,341 3,264
Essex 3,024 2,913 2,950
Gloucestershire 4,630 4,196 4,242
Greater Manchester 5,168 5,641 5,668
Hampshire 3,519 3,262 3,282
Hertfordshire 3,035 2,631 2,659
Humberside 6,094 6,543 5,839
Kent 3,827 3,660 3,323
Lancashire 3,823 3,504 3,116
Leicestershire 4,046 4,134 4,011
Lincolnshire 3,261 3,120 3,138
Merseyside 4,120 4,177 4,415
Metropolitan Police District1 4,903 5,090 5,604
Norfolk 3,511 3,281 3,247
Northamptonshire 4,215 4,751 4,248
Northumbria 4,209 4,357 4,081
North Yorkshire 3,542 3,472 3,277
Nottinghamshire 5,398 5,800 5,872
South Yorkshire 4.606 4,389 4,221
Staffordshire 3,624 3,576 3,649
Suffolk 2,562 2,565 2,596
Surrey 2,497 2,284 2,401
Sussex 3,743 3,873 3,949
Thames Valley 4,161 4,296 4,580
Warwickshire 3,621 3,506 3,419
West Mercia 3,420 3,234 3,198
West Midlands 4,793 4,788 5,338
West Yorkshire 5,143 5,466 5,236
Wiltshire 2,834 2,804 2,766
Dyfed-Powys 1,501 1,612 1,538
Gwent 3,542 3,722 3,539
North Wales 2,644 2,657 2,684
South Wales 5,001 4,669 4,356
England and Wales 4,163 4,197 4,241
1 Including the City of London

Criminal damage. Recorded offences per 100,000 population
Police force 1997 1998–99 1999–2000
Avon and Somerset 1,390 1,394 1,378
Bedfordshire 1,462 1,429 1,446
Cambridgeshire 1,315 1,674 1,682
Cheshire 1,143 1,181 1283
Cleveland 2,022 1,922 1,943
Cumbria 1,640 1,708 1,814
Derbyshire 1,392 1,483 1,568
Devon and Cornwall 987 1,142 1,186
Dorset 1,209 1,208 1,216
Durham 1,730 1,828 1,753
Essex 1,245 1,237 1,420
Gloucestershire 1,107 1,175 1,434
Greater Manchester 2,644 2,607 2,918
Hampshire 1,508 1,424 1,588
Hertfordshire 1,139 1,168 1,316
Humberside 2,275 2,429 2,348
Kent 1,544 1,472 1,575
Lancashire 1,879 1,499 1,596
Leicestershire 1,513 1,630 1,819
Lincolnshire 1,160 1,248 1,347
Merseyside 1,667 1,943 2,187
Metropolitan Police District1 1,861 1,800 1,977
Norfolk 1,259 1,327 1,389

Criminal damage. Recorded offences per 100,000 population
Police force 1997 1998–99 1999–2000
Northamptonshire 1,919 1,929 1,906
Northumbria 2,461 2,212 2,135
North Yorkshire 1,162 1,135 1,161
Nottinghamshire 2,730 2,321 2,297
South Yorkshire 1,806 1,855 1,940
Staffordshire 1,605 1,478 1,738
Suffolk 1,184 1,185 1,423
Surrey 844 966 1,093
Sussex 1,627 1,602 1,759
Thames Valley 1,238 1,247 1,364
Warwickshire 1,271 1,368 1,468
West Mercia 1,339 1,363 1,532
West Midlands 1,859 1,916 2,337
West Yorkshire 2,202 2,333 2,276
Wiltshire 965 1,109 1,181
Dyfed-Powys 943 941 921
Gwent 1,788 2,099 2,199
North Wales 1,713 1,471 1,537
South Wales 2,380 2,445 2,272
England and Wales 1,686 1,685 1,804
1 Including the City of London

Offences per police officer, year ending 30 September 20001
Police force area Offences per officer
Avon and Somerset 50
Bedfordshire 50
Cambridgeshire 54
Cheshire 32
Cleveland 46
Cumbria 32
Derbyshire 47
Devon and Cornwall 37
Dorset 40
Durham 30
Essex2 37
Gloucestershire 44
Greater Manchester 55
Hampshire 40
Hertfordshire2 30
Humberside 60
Kent 40
Lancashire 34
Leicestershire 46
Lincolnshire 40
London, City of 10
Merseyside 36
Metropolitan Police2 41
Norfolk 42
Northamptonshire 52
Northumbria 36
North Yorkshire 40
Nottinghamshire 63
South Yorkshire 40
Staffordshire 48
Suffolk 39
Surrey2 26
Sussex 49
Thames Valley 50
Warwickshire 40
West Mercia 42
West Midlands 51
West Yorkshire 54
Wiltshire 32
Dyfed-Powys 22
Gwent 45
North Wales 33
South Wales 39
Total 43
1 Based on number of offences for year ended 30 September 2000, and numbers of police officers as at 31 March 2000.
2 Based on estimated number of offences had pre-1 April 2000 boundaries been in effect.

Paddy Ashdown

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the proportion of people released from prison in England and Wales in each of the last five years who reoffended within two years; and if he will make a statement. [144644]

Mr. Charles Clarke

Information on reoffending rates is not available.

However, it is estimated that 57 per cent. of people released from prison in England and Wales during the first quarter of 1997 were reconvicted for a standard list offence within two years of release.

Paddy Ashdown

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notifiable offences were committed in Avon and Somerset within the last two years by people released from prison under early release schemes; and if he will make a statement. [144643]

Mr. Boateng

There are two statutory early release schemes:

Parole: prisoners serving a sentence of four years or more are entitled to be considered for discretionary conditional release on parole licence at the halfway point of their sentence. Those who are refused parole are released automatically at the two thirds point of their sentence on non-parole licence. Information about prisoners who are released on parole licence and who commit a further offence during the currency of that licence is not currently held centrally.

Home Detention Curfew

most prisoners serving a sentence of less than four years and more than three months are eligible to be considered for the home detention curfew scheme, which commences up to 60 days before the halfway point of the sentence. Information about prisoners who are subject to the scheme, who have been released to an address in either Avon or Somerset and who have committed an offence during the currency of the scheme is not immediately available. The Prison Service has made further inquiries of the electronic monitoring contractors for the South West of England and I will write to the right hon. Member with this information as soon as it is available. A copy will be placed in the Library.

Early release schemes are designed to ensure a better transition between custody and the community. Prisoners are only placed on the schemes after a careful risk assessment, in which the overriding concern is the safety of the public.