HC Deb 10 June 2003 vol 406 c815W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the chance of becoming a victim of crime in Merseyside was in each year since 1995. [116473]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth

The larger sample size of the British Crime Survey (BCS) in 2001–02 has resulted in the ability, for the first time, to analyse data (questions that are asked of the whole sample) by police force area such as Merseyside. Results for the Best Value Performance Indicator 120 measuring risk of victimisation of both personal and household crime for Merseyside for 2001–02 interviews can be found in "Crime in England and Wales 2001–2002', Home Office Statistical Bulletin 07/02 (table 7.05). There is no comparable data for the years preceding 2001–02.

Prior to the 2001–02 BCS there is only information available for the old Government Office Region (GOR) of Merseyside for the 1998 BCS (covering crime in 1997). Victimisation rates for violence, burglary and vehicle crime by GOR can be found in 'The 1998 British Crime Survey' Home Office Statistical Bulletin 21/98 (appendix tables A5.4, A5.10 and A5.15). This definition of GOR was not used in previous sweeps of the BCS.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of community support officers in the Sefton authority area; how many officers have been appointed; and what their primary duties are. [116476]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth

Merseyside police are currently evaluating the impact of their community support officers (CSOs). The results of this will be released in late October. To date, I understand, the CSOs have been very well received within the community.

The Sefton area has nine CSOs, all of whom are allocated to the Bootle neighbourhood. Their primary duties are to supply a highly visible uniform presence within the neighbourhood and to assist in the gathering of information.