§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on requiring the prioritisation of street crime by chief constables; and what statutory power he has to require them to prioritise specified categories of crime. [68022]
§ Mr. DenhamFinding effective means of tackling street crime is a Government priority following a rapid rise in such offences in recent years (including a 13 per cent. rise in robbery offences in the year up to March 2001). To achieve this, the Government are working jointly with the 10 forces which account for over 80 per cent. of such offences, and who have agreed collectively to make street crime a priority as part of this multi-agency initiative.