Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered age restrictions on the sale of catapults and slingshots.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government shares the concern about the use of catapults against wildlife, people or property. We are aware of catapults being an issue in some areas of the country, and there are a range of laws in place that can be used against individuals who use catapults in this way.
Where a catapult is used to harm animals, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 provide the police with powers to deal with deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on wildlife. It is also an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause an animal any unnecessary suffering.
Under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953, if a person carries an offensive weapon in a public place or threatens a person with an offensive weapon, they may face up to four years in prison. The definition of an ‘offensive weapon’ may include a catapult depending on the circumstances of the case.
The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 also provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with tools and powers that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour including that involving catapults. This includes Community Protection Warnings and Notices (CPWs and CPNs), and Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) which can be used to prevent behaviour that is having, or likely to have, a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality. Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, we have increased the upper limit for a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for breaches of a PSPO or a CPN from £100 to £500 and this will come into force from 26 October 2026.
A roundtable was held in June this year with Members of Parliament and stakeholders to discuss the misuse of catapults. The Government is now working with the police to ensure that existing legislation is used consistently and effectively. We have noted the proposals for new restrictions, including age restrictions on the sale of catapults, and we are actively considering what more might be done around enforcement.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) any changes have been made to the report of the Independent Review of Public Order and Hate Crime Legislation since it was submitted to her on 29 May 2026, and (b) whether her Department plans to publish the report in full.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Lord Macdonald submitted the report of the Independent Review of Public Order and Hate Crime Legislation to the Home Secretary on 29 May. The report as submitted to the Home Secretary will be published in full shortly.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much the Disclosure and Barring Service spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Over the four years in question, the Disclosure & Barring Service spent £89,916.02 on interpreters and related translation services (including British Sign Language interpretation and translation plus other deafness support).
This breaks down as £16,413.69 in 2022; £24,730.10 in 2023; £21,093.70 in 2024; and £27,678.53 in 2025.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government intends to publish its response to Lord Macdonald KC's independent review of public order and hate crime legislation.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Lord Macdonald submitted the report of the Independent Review of Public Order and Hate Crime Legislation on 29 May. The Government is considering the report’s findings and recommendations as it develops its response.
We intend to publish the report alongside the Government’s response and will provide an update to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether other forces are conduction similar tasks like the metropolitan police is under Op Reckoning, and what outcomes have come from these.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling mobile phone theft and supports the operational activity being led by policing through Operation Reckoning.
Since January 2025, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has delivered its most comprehensive and intelligence-led response to mobile phone theft and robbery through Operation Reckoning. This is delivering results – street crime involving the theft of a mobile phone recorded by the MPS has fallen by over 16,000 offences in the year to September 2026, a reduction of 21% across London and 43% in Westminster, according to their own published data.
The Home Office collects data on the number of theft offences reported to the police in England and Wales by police force. It is not possible from information held centrally to identify mobile phone thefts reported to individual police forces.
The most recent phase of Operation Reckoning has, for the first time, expanded beyond London and involved forces across England and Wales working with industry and other partners. Activity has included visits to second-hand mobile phone retailers, intelligence-led enforcement activity and work to disrupt the criminal markets that enable stolen devices to be sold on for profit.
The operation is coordinated nationally by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, enabling forces to share intelligence, operational tactics and lessons learned to strengthen the collective response to mobile phone theft and support disruption activity across England and Wales.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what number of phone thefts have been reported in Devon & Cornwall in 2026 compared to a) The Met Force area and b) the rest of the country.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling mobile phone theft and supports the operational activity being led by policing through Operation Reckoning.
Since January 2025, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has delivered its most comprehensive and intelligence-led response to mobile phone theft and robbery through Operation Reckoning. This is delivering results – street crime involving the theft of a mobile phone recorded by the MPS has fallen by over 16,000 offences in the year to September 2026, a reduction of 21% across London and 43% in Westminster, according to their own published data.
The Home Office collects data on the number of theft offences reported to the police in England and Wales by police force. It is not possible from information held centrally to identify mobile phone thefts reported to individual police forces.
The most recent phase of Operation Reckoning has, for the first time, expanded beyond London and involved forces across England and Wales working with industry and other partners. Activity has included visits to second-hand mobile phone retailers, intelligence-led enforcement activity and work to disrupt the criminal markets that enable stolen devices to be sold on for profit.
The operation is coordinated nationally by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, enabling forces to share intelligence, operational tactics and lessons learned to strengthen the collective response to mobile phone theft and support disruption activity across England and Wales.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2026 to question 21941 on Police: Greater Manchester, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of having discussions with the Greater Manchester Police Federation on the impact of racist abuse on police officer wellbeing, retention and recruitment in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Stockport.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with the leadership of Police Federation of England and Wales where issues affecting officers are discussed.
Racist abuse directed at police officers is wholly unacceptable and has no place in our society. The Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime and discrimination wherever they occur. Police officers and staff should be able to carry out their duties free from intimidation, hatred and abuse, and we recognise the impact that such behaviour can have on wellbeing.
The Government remains committed to supporting the welfare of the police workforce and to promoting a policing culture that is fair, inclusive and respectful, helping to attract and retain talented people from all backgrounds. We continue to work with police leaders to ensure that the right support is in place for officers and staff throughout their career.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the Metropolitan Police Service’s compliance with statutory deadlines for responding to Subject Access Requests under data protection legislation.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not assessed the Metropolitan Police Service's compliance with statutory deadlines for responding to Subject Access Requests under data protection legislation.
Compliance with data protection obligations, including the handling of Subject Access Requests (SARs), is the responsibility of individual police forces. The Information Commission is the independent regulator responsible for overseeing compliance with data protection legislation and has powers to investigate concerns and take enforcement action where appropriate.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make (a) an estimate of the total number of police officers required in the UK for police forces to operate effectively and (b) an assessment of the adequacy of the current number serving.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is clear that an effective, well-supported police service is central to delivering safer communities and improved public confidence.
The Home Office does not set a requirement for the number of officers forces should have in order to operate effectively.
For too long the focus has been on officer numbers alone. Society, crime, and public expectations are changing, and policing must modernise to reflect this.
The Police Reform White Paper published earlier this year outlines our plans to develop a new Police Workforce Strategy to build and support a modern, capable, and sustainable police workforce. The strategy will consider what mix of officers, staff, and specialist skills policing needs to respond to today’s challenges and anticipate those of the future.
It is for Chief Constables, directly accountable to the relevant Police and Crime Commissioner or Mayor, to make operational decisions. This includes decisions on local workforce requirements informed by individual forces’ operational needs and assessments of local demand and risk.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the 23 per cent reduction in knife-enabled robbery across seven police forces reported in the announcement of 18 September 2026, whether the Department will publish the corresponding figures for West Midlands Police, including the baseline and comparison periods used.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Information on knife-enabled robbery offences for selected police forces is published on a quarterly basis broken down at the Police Force Area level, including West Midlands Police.
The latest information can be found here: Police recorded knife-enabled robbery offences - GOV.UK.