§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were assaulted while on duty in Lincolnshire in each year since 1997. [179433]
§ Ms BlearsThe available information relates to recorded offences of assault on a constable and is given in the table. Statistics are not available prior to 1998–99.
1520W
Recorded offences of assault on a constable in Lincolnshire Number 1998–99 268 1999–2000 223 2000–01 178 2001–02 218 2002–03 281
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the proposals(a) to remove the requirement for an inspector to be in charge of searches under code B of the Police and Criminal Evidence codes and (b) to remove the requirement for the arresting officer presence to justify arrest or detention under code C of the codes. [177778]
§ Ms BlearsThe in formation is as follows:
(a) In the August 2004 edition of the Codes it is proposed to remove the legislative requirement for an officer of Inspector rank to be in charge of searches under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Schedule 1 or the Terrorism Act 2000, Schedule 5. This change will provide consistency with other parts of the Codes whereby the officer in charge of the search is the senior officer present (See Code B, 2F). Searches in the categories specified will not always require supervision by an officer of Inspector rank and judgements about the necessary level of supervision need to be made in each individual case
(b) It is proposed that the following paragraph be inserted into Code C, paragraph 3.4: "If the arresting officer is not physically present when the detainee is brought to a police station, the arresting officer's account must be made available to the custody officer remotely or by a third party on the arresting officer's behalf".
This new provision will enable officers to remain on front-line duties without being taken "off the street" to travel to and from the police station. It will also enable greater use of designated detention officers under sections 38 and 39 of the Police Reform Act 2002. The Code does not currently require the arresting officer to be present at the point at which the suspect is brought before the custody officer.
§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the number of day visitors used in the calculation of the Police Grant (England and Wales) 2004–05 for Avon and Somerset constabulary was; [179314]
(2) how many day visitors to Bristol Airport are counted in the number used for the purposes of calculating the Police Grant (England and Wales) 2004—05 for Avon and Somerset constabulary. [179315]
§ Ms BlearsThe annual number of day visitors used in calculation of Police Grant 2004–05 for Avon and Somerset was 38,515, 000. This number includes visitors to Bristol airport, but figures are not routinely held at levels of geographical detail below that of the police authority.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how police numbers in Crosby have changed in each year since 1997. [177947]
§ Ms BlearsI refer my hon. Friend to my reply of 10 March 2004,Official Report, column 1588W. This remains the latest data available. I do not expect information on Basic Command Unit strength for 31 March 2004 to be available for publication until the autumn.