Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of (a) grievous bodily harm and (b) homicide involving (i) machetes and zombie knives there were in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Home Office Homicide Index holds detailed data on homicides recorded by the police in England and Wales. Information on the type of sharp instrument used in a homicide, including zombie knives and machetes, was added to the collection in April 2022. These data, for the year ending March 2023, are due to be published by the Office for National Statistics in February 2024.
The Homicide Index also holds information on the method of killing and age of convicted suspect. These data are in the given table. The number of convictions is likely to increase as more cases are finalised by the courts.
The Home Office does not routinely collect information on the types of knives or sharp instruments used in other offences or the age of perpetrators.
Number of suspects convicted of homicide where method of killing was by sharp instrument, by age, | |||||
England and Wales, 2017/18 to 2021/22 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
Under 16 | 21 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 16 |
16 to 24 | 141 | 125 | 135 | 119 | 83 |
25 to 34 | 55 | 70 | 59 | 52 | 41 |
35 to 44 | 32 | 37 | 31 | 19 | 18 |
45 to 54 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 14 | 13 |
55 to 64 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
65 to 74 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
75 plus | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Total | 289 | 275 | 259 | 224 | 178 |
Source: Home Office Homide Index |
|
|
|
|
|
As at 6 December 2022; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. | |||||
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban machetes and zombie knives.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government will seek to legislate a ban on certain types of large knives and machetes that do not seem to have practical use and appear to appeal to those who want to use these items as weapons when parliamentary time allows.
Once the new legislation is in force, it will be a criminal offence to import, sell or possess these types of weapons.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children were accommodated in Home Office operated hotels in each month since October 2022 by age.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We take the safety of those in our care seriously. We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.
Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites have security staff on site 24/7 and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.
If any child goes missing the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed. A multi-agency, missing persons meeting is chaired by the local authority to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe. Similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.
The Home Office continue to work with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe.The Police are responsible for locating any missing children.
The data requested cannot be provided as it comes from live operational databases that have not been quality assured.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children accommodated in Home Office operated hotels (a) have gone missing since July 2021 and (b) are missing as of 13 June 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We take the safety of those in our care seriously. We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.
Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites have security staff on site 24/7 and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.
There are 154 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) missing as of 8 June 2023.
If any child goes missing, including UASCs, the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed. A multi-agency, missing persons meeting is chaired by the local authority to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe. Similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.
The Home Office continue to work with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe. The police are responsible for locating any missing children.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of police forces investigating crimes where the alleged victim is an unaccompanied child who was accommodated in, or went missing from, a Home Office operated hotel.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
This information is held by the individual encountering police forces but is not held or collated centrally.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of antique firearms (a) traded in the UK in each year since 2017 and (b) in circulation now.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The UK has some of the toughest firearms legislation in the world and we keep the controls under constant review to keep the public safe.
Following a sharp increase in the criminal use of antique firearms, the Government introduced the Antique Firearms Regulations 2021, which provide a statutory definition of ‘antique firearm’ to clarify which firearms can safely be exempt from the controls and which should be subject to licensing. We took the opportunity to omit from that definition seven cartridges which had regularly featured in crime, making firearms chambered for use with those cartridges subject to licensing.
Antique firearms are not identified separately in official crime statistics. However, information provided by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service shows the following:
- there were two fatalities from obsolete calibre firearms in each year from 2017 to 2021 and one fatality so far in 2022;
- injuries involving obsolete calibre firearms (excluding suicides) were 15 in 2017, 13 in 2018, 9 in 2019, 7 in 2020, 6 in 2021, and 5 so far in 2022;
- obsolete calibre firearms recovered from crime or from suspicious circumstances were 87 in 2017, 75 in 2018, 77 in 2019, 83 in 2020, 84 in 2021, and 41 so far in 2022.
When making the 2021 Regulations, the Government committed to an annual review to consider the latest developments with the criminal use of antique firearms, and to a full review of the Regulations themselves every three years.
A first review of the criminal use of antique firearms has just been completed and identified no need to revise the controls further at this time. The position will be monitored and reviewed again next year, but we will not hesitate to act sooner should the need arise.
For a firearm to qualify as exempt from licensing control it must be possessed, sold or purchased as a curiosity or ornament. Ammunition cannot be similarly exempt and is subject to licensing. If an owner wanted to acquire ammunition for use with an antique firearm, the firearm would no longer qualify to be exempt as an antique and would revert to certificate controls.
Since antique firearms are exempt from most firearms controls, including the need for licensing, we do not hold figures on the trade in antique firearms nor the number currently in circulation.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the current regulatory regime for antique firearms on their (a) use in crime and (b) modifications.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The UK has some of the toughest firearms legislation in the world and we keep the controls under constant review to keep the public safe.
Following a sharp increase in the criminal use of antique firearms, the Government introduced the Antique Firearms Regulations 2021, which provide a statutory definition of ‘antique firearm’ to clarify which firearms can safely be exempt from the controls and which should be subject to licensing. We took the opportunity to omit from that definition seven cartridges which had regularly featured in crime, making firearms chambered for use with those cartridges subject to licensing.
Antique firearms are not identified separately in official crime statistics. However, information provided by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service shows the following:
- there were two fatalities from obsolete calibre firearms in each year from 2017 to 2021 and one fatality so far in 2022;
- injuries involving obsolete calibre firearms (excluding suicides) were 15 in 2017, 13 in 2018, 9 in 2019, 7 in 2020, 6 in 2021, and 5 so far in 2022;
- obsolete calibre firearms recovered from crime or from suspicious circumstances were 87 in 2017, 75 in 2018, 77 in 2019, 83 in 2020, 84 in 2021, and 41 so far in 2022.
When making the 2021 Regulations, the Government committed to an annual review to consider the latest developments with the criminal use of antique firearms, and to a full review of the Regulations themselves every three years.
A first review of the criminal use of antique firearms has just been completed and identified no need to revise the controls further at this time. The position will be monitored and reviewed again next year, but we will not hesitate to act sooner should the need arise.
For a firearm to qualify as exempt from licensing control it must be possessed, sold or purchased as a curiosity or ornament. Ammunition cannot be similarly exempt and is subject to licensing. If an owner wanted to acquire ammunition for use with an antique firearm, the firearm would no longer qualify to be exempt as an antique and would revert to certificate controls.
Since antique firearms are exempt from most firearms controls, including the need for licensing, we do not hold figures on the trade in antique firearms nor the number currently in circulation.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) deaths, (b) injuries and (c) crimes involving an antique firearm in each year since 2017.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The UK has some of the toughest firearms legislation in the world and we keep the controls under constant review to keep the public safe.
Following a sharp increase in the criminal use of antique firearms, the Government introduced the Antique Firearms Regulations 2021, which provide a statutory definition of ‘antique firearm’ to clarify which firearms can safely be exempt from the controls and which should be subject to licensing. We took the opportunity to omit from that definition seven cartridges which had regularly featured in crime, making firearms chambered for use with those cartridges subject to licensing.
Antique firearms are not identified separately in official crime statistics. However, information provided by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service shows the following:
- there were two fatalities from obsolete calibre firearms in each year from 2017 to 2021 and one fatality so far in 2022;
- injuries involving obsolete calibre firearms (excluding suicides) were 15 in 2017, 13 in 2018, 9 in 2019, 7 in 2020, 6 in 2021, and 5 so far in 2022;
- obsolete calibre firearms recovered from crime or from suspicious circumstances were 87 in 2017, 75 in 2018, 77 in 2019, 83 in 2020, 84 in 2021, and 41 so far in 2022.
When making the 2021 Regulations, the Government committed to an annual review to consider the latest developments with the criminal use of antique firearms, and to a full review of the Regulations themselves every three years.
A first review of the criminal use of antique firearms has just been completed and identified no need to revise the controls further at this time. The position will be monitored and reviewed again next year, but we will not hesitate to act sooner should the need arise.
For a firearm to qualify as exempt from licensing control it must be possessed, sold or purchased as a curiosity or ornament. Ammunition cannot be similarly exempt and is subject to licensing. If an owner wanted to acquire ammunition for use with an antique firearm, the firearm would no longer qualify to be exempt as an antique and would revert to certificate controls.
Since antique firearms are exempt from most firearms controls, including the need for licensing, we do not hold figures on the trade in antique firearms nor the number currently in circulation.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the amount of ammunition for antique firearms traded in the UK since 2017.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The UK has some of the toughest firearms legislation in the world and we keep the controls under constant review to keep the public safe.
Following a sharp increase in the criminal use of antique firearms, the Government introduced the Antique Firearms Regulations 2021, which provide a statutory definition of ‘antique firearm’ to clarify which firearms can safely be exempt from the controls and which should be subject to licensing. We took the opportunity to omit from that definition seven cartridges which had regularly featured in crime, making firearms chambered for use with those cartridges subject to licensing.
Antique firearms are not identified separately in official crime statistics. However, information provided by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service shows the following:
- there were two fatalities from obsolete calibre firearms in each year from 2017 to 2021 and one fatality so far in 2022;
- injuries involving obsolete calibre firearms (excluding suicides) were 15 in 2017, 13 in 2018, 9 in 2019, 7 in 2020, 6 in 2021, and 5 so far in 2022;
- obsolete calibre firearms recovered from crime or from suspicious circumstances were 87 in 2017, 75 in 2018, 77 in 2019, 83 in 2020, 84 in 2021, and 41 so far in 2022.
When making the 2021 Regulations, the Government committed to an annual review to consider the latest developments with the criminal use of antique firearms, and to a full review of the Regulations themselves every three years.
A first review of the criminal use of antique firearms has just been completed and identified no need to revise the controls further at this time. The position will be monitored and reviewed again next year, but we will not hesitate to act sooner should the need arise.
For a firearm to qualify as exempt from licensing control it must be possessed, sold or purchased as a curiosity or ornament. Ammunition cannot be similarly exempt and is subject to licensing. If an owner wanted to acquire ammunition for use with an antique firearm, the firearm would no longer qualify to be exempt as an antique and would revert to certificate controls.
Since antique firearms are exempt from most firearms controls, including the need for licensing, we do not hold figures on the trade in antique firearms nor the number currently in circulation.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the allocation of the National and International Capital Cities Grant to the Metropolitan Police has been adjusted for inflation.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
In 2022-23 the Metropolitan Police Service will receive up to £3.24bn of funding. This is an increase of up to £169m when compared to 2021-22. In addition, the MPS receives funding for a number of other functions including as the lead for counter-terrorism, around £47m of funding relating to crime reduction programmes, and specific funding through the Police Special Grant.
The discretionary National and International Capital City (NICC) Grant, which is included in these figures totals £185.3m, unchanged from 2021-22.
Funding since 2010 cannot be directly compared as elements have changed or been amalgamated over time.