§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many distraction crimes were reported in each of the last 10 years; and how many successful prosecutions followed in each of those years; [178416]
1415W(2) how many distraction burglaries there were in each (a) local authority and (b) constituency in each of the last 10 years, listed in descending order and according to region. [178419]
§ Ms BlearsThe information is not available as requested.
Recorded distraction burglary in England and Wales Police force area 1998–99 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Avon and Somerset 378 545 686 542 Bedfordshire 237 172 339 238 Cambridgeshire 197 221 330 211 Cheshire 182 62 104 178 Cleveland 114 118 210 291 Cumbria Not available 26 26 31 Derbyshire 415 310 336 287 Devon and Cornwall 204 197 151 192 Dorset 69 134 188 196 Durham 203 141 168 162 Dyfed-Powys 35 65 25 23 Essex 91 462 488 349 Gloucestershire 43 121 247 179 Greater Manchester 1,413 1,462 1,312 1,945 Gwent 110 72 152 70 Hampshire 275 70 203 142 Hertfordshire 222 427 676 498 Humberside 133 98 120 258 Kent 207 124 496 387 Lancashire 135 387 190 235 Leicestershire Not available 257 330 291 Lincolnshire 48 101 83 113 London, City of 0 9 3 1 Merseyside 389 97 317 377 Metropolitan Police 4,491 4,309 5,015 4,567 Norfolk 43 95 122 82 North Wales 124 38 46 54 North Yorkshire 104 175 147 188 Northamptonshire 245 220 194 325 Northumbria 224 238 137 179 Nottinghamshire 389 345 383 323 South Wales 190 170 91 132 South Yorkshire 374 571 724 978 Staffordshire 252 244 295 397 Suffolk 61 100 275 125 Surrey 195 325 309 139 Sussex 485 192 340 290 Thames Valley 599 706 731 685 Warwickshire 119 129 162 163 West Mercia 176 195 270 313 West Midlands 1,401 1,022 1,630 1,126 West Yorkshire 954 968 1,170 1,141 Wiltshire Not available 162 176 261 Total 15,526 15,882 19,397 18,664 With effect from 1 April 2003, distraction burglary became a sub-category of "burglary dwelling" under the Home Office counting rules, allowing data on this type of crime to be collated routinely. Crime figures for 2003–04 will be published in July.
Prosecution data are not available, as the law does not separately define distraction burglary.
§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to prevent distraction crimes; and if he will make a statement. [178418]
§ Ms BlearsDistraction burglary is a callous crime against mainly older members of society. We are determined to do as much as we can to prevent it.
1416WHowever, police force data on distraction burglary were collated in special exercises in four recent years. These are available only on a force-by-force basis, as set out in the table. The figures need to be treated with considerable caution as there was no standard definition of distraction burglary and this type of crime is considerably under-reported.
We set up a Distraction Burglary Task Force in 2000 to gather data, publicise good practice and increase the awareness of the problem, particularly among vulnerable people. The Task Force includes representatives of the police, voluntary organisations, the utility companies, banks and local authorities.
Many measures are now in place to prevent distraction burglary including it a number of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships where this crime has been identified as of local concern. These measures include improving the appearance and security of homes, sharing intelligence between all the involved agencies and educating people in crime reduction measures. In addition, from February to April 2004, the Home Office ran a publicity campaign to raise awareness of distraction 1417W burglary and to promote safe doorstep behaviour. Over 100,000 "How to Beat the Bogus Caller" leaflets were distributed, many regional and local newspapers published articles on local incidents and initiatives and over 30 local radio stations ran items about distraction burglary and how to combat it.
§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions his Department has had with other Government Departments on combating crime resulting from cold calling. [178420]
§ Ms BlearsIn May 2004 the Office of Fair Trading published a report on doorstep selling. This included a recommendation that the Department of Trade and Industry consult on the option of banning cold calling to offer property services.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe), will respond to the report on behalf of the Government. I have discussed the importance of tackling doorstep crime with him. Officials from my Department and his, alongside representatives of other Departments and the devolved Administrations, are already taking forward work in response to the report. The response will be made within 90 days of the report's receipt.