Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to help ensure that bike owners security code their bicycles.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Property marking and registration make it easier to prove ownership if a bicycle is stolen, and easier for the police to return recovered property to the rightful owner. There are a number of property marking schemes available for the public to use; there are currently no plans to mandate this or ensure that bike owners security code their bicycles.
The Department for Transport and Active Travel England are working with the police-led National Cycle Crime Group to support regional cycle crime enforcement partnerships and raise awareness of better security, especially around effective ways for people to secure their cycles.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to require police forces to collect any available (a) body cam, (b) CCTV and (c) other digital evidence when a crime is reported.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). As the locally elected representative for policing, PCCs are responsible for holding their Chief to account for their performance.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services regularly inspects forces’ performance and makes recommendations for improvement where necessary. On 7th July HMICFRS published “Police performance: Getting a grip” which included recommendations on responding to the public. We expect Chief Constables to ensure that appropriate action is taken within their force to address these recommendations, progress against which is monitored by the Inspectorate.
The public want to see police taking visible action in communities, being responsive, and thoroughly investigating crime. On 28 August, the Home Secretary announced that police forces across England and Wales have committed to pursuing all leads where there is a reasonable chance it could result in catching a perpetrator and solving a crime. New guidance from the College of Policing provides clear direction on applying a consistent standard of service to have the greatest chance of securing a positive outcome for a victim.
Operational decisions are a matter for individual police chiefs and their force, and each incident is looked at on a case-by-case basis on the evidence available and in proportion to the crime.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how she plans to measure the success of the Right Care, Right Person approach.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Home Office officials are working closely with Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), College of Policing (CoP), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and National Health Service England (NHSE) on a programme to monitor and evaluate the rollout of RCRP, including both the impacts on police time and the impact on health and social care services and service users.
As stated in the National Partnership Agreement, findings from this evaluation, as well as wider learning about good practice from local partnerships across the country, will be shared to support successful implementation.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to encourage people to report incidences of sexual assault and violence.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling sexual violence and wants victims to have the confidence to report these crimes, knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.
In March 2022 we launched a national communications campaign, Enough, the first phase of which targeted and challenged harmful behaviours, educated young people about healthy relationships and ensured victims can recognise abuse and access support. The first phase of the campaign drove 450,000 clicks to the campaign website.
We are also improving the experience of victims that report sexual violence, by investing £9.4 million in Operation Soteria to develop a National Operating Model for the investigation of rape, which all police forces in England and Wales are now implementing. We are also investing over £10 million to support police acquire the capabilities they need to analyse victim's mobile devices quickly and at a time and location convenient to them.
Furthermore, the Victims and Prisoners Bill, includes measures to help ensure victims know their entitlements, from emotional support to the right to ask for special measures in court, and recognise Independent Sexual Violence Advisers in law. We are also supporting victims through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Violence Crisis helpline, funded by the Ministry of Justice, which provides victims with ready access to specialist operators who can provide victims with vital information and emotional support. The Home Office has also doubled the value of the Sexual Violence Support Fund to £400k per annum in 2023-5.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold discussions with industry representatives on the potential merits of bringing forward proposals to establish security standards for bike locks.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Department for Transport and Active Travel England are working with the police-led National Cycle Crime Group to support regional cycle crime enforcement partnerships and raise awareness of better security, especially around effective ways for people to secure their cycles.
The Home Office has no plans to introduce security standards for bike locks.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has held with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on providing expedient access to a clinician for people held by police who have underlying physical or mental health issues.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police custody officers should carry out an assessment of the risk and vulnerability of everyone in custody, on an individual basis. This assessment should take into account the person’s behaviour, any signs of illness or injury, their communication, including information from all available sources and the circumstances and environment in which they were found.
In accordance with Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Code C paragraph 9.5, the custody officer must make sure that a detainee receives appropriate clinical attention as soon as reasonably practicable if the person: appears to be suffering from physical illness, is injured, appears to be suffering from a mental disorder or appears to need clinical attention.
Liaison and Diversion schemes (commissioned by NHS England) have been introduced into police custody in England, to seek to ensure that vulnerable people are identified and offered access to the help they may need. These schemes see mental health workers based within police custody suites that offer identification, assessment and referral function for people with mental health issues, ASD, learning disabilities or substance misuse problems. A key component of these schemes is to provide referrals to community treatment and support services and to provide advice to police custody staff on how best to support people with these vulnerabilities.
The Government and the NHS are committed to ensuring that those in need of mental health support or experiencing a mental health crisis receive timely care from an appropriately trained professional who can provide them with the right support. The Home Office, Department of Health & Social Care, National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, and NHS England worked closely, together with other key partners to develop the National Partnership Agreement for the Right Care Right Person approach to ensure that the most appropriate agency attends, to provide the best possible service for those in need. Home Office and DHSC Ministers have and continue to work closely on the implementation of the National Partnership Agreement.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that police forces provide people being held in their care with access to (a) medication (b) food and (c) fluid; and whether she is taking steps to require police forces to record data on access to these items.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Code C sets out requirements for police custody, including in respect of detainee healthcare, food and drink. The College of Policing also publishes Authorised Professional Practice guidance on detainee care.
The custody officer must make sure detainees receive appropriate clinical attention as soon as reasonably practicable if the person appears to be suffering from physical illness, is injured, appears to be suffering from a mental disorder or appears to need clinical attention.
The custody officer must consult the appropriate healthcare professional before a detainee takes or applies any medication that was prescribed prior to their detention. They should note this in the custody record. The custody officer is responsible for the safekeeping of the medication and ensuring that the detainee is given the opportunity to use or apply it as prescribed.
At least two light meals and one main meal should be offered in any 24-hour period. Drinks should be provided at mealtimes and upon reasonable request between meals. Whenever necessary, advice shall be sought from the appropriate healthcare professional on medical and dietary matters. As far as practicable, meals provided shall offer a varied diet and meet any specific dietary needs or religious beliefs the detainee may have. The detainee may, at the custody officer’s discretion, have meals supplied by their family or friends at their expense.
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS) inspects police custody facilities to ensure standards are maintained. HMICFRS sets out clear expectations that healthcare information is recorded on custody records, including any medication provided or required, and that detainees are offered and provided with sufficient food and drink to ensure their welfare and to meet their dietary, cultural and religious needs. Where forces fall short, HMICFRS may raise causes for concern and make recommendations in custody inspection reports.
In addition, locally appointed independent custody visitors make unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on standards of service provision.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds data on the proportion of bicycles that have been stolen and returned to their owner (a) nationally and (b) in York.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Office for National Statistics have published estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales that show that the volume of Neighbourhood Crime has fallen by 51% since 2010. The CSEW also shows that the proportion of bicycle owners experiencing theft has also halved over the same period from 3.9% to 1.8%.
Information on whether or not the stolen bicycle was returned to the owner is not available and the sample size of the CSEW is not large enough to yield estimates for York.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of retail crime reports result in a visit from a (a) police officer, (b) Community Safety Patrol Officer in (i) England and (ii) York.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Retail crime of any form, including violence and abuse, is not acceptable, and the Government takes this issue very seriously.
The Government has legislated to introduce a statutory aggravating factor for assault against any public facing worker via section 156 of the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. The statutory aggravating factor applies in cases of assault where an offence is committed against those performing a public duty or providing a service to the public and ensures the courts treat the public-facing nature of a victim’s role as an aggravating factor when considering the sentence for an offence.
The Home Office works closely with retailers and trade organisations, including USDAW, and police partners via the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to ensure that the response to crimes affecting the retail sector is as robust as it can be.
On a national level, the Home Office works closely with the police-led National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) to understand the crimes affecting businesses and help ensure businesses and police are working effectively together. The Home Office is committed to working closely with the NBCC on all aspects of business crime and has provided funding to assist with their online retail crime hub which holds vital resource assets for the retail sector, including training packages. Shopworker Videos (nbcc.police.uk)
Further training is available on the British Retail Consortium website, which hosts a dedicated resource page on behalf of the NRCSG and includes valuable links to training to help retail workers de-escalate threatening situations.DE-ESCALATION TRAINING (brc.org.uk)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on crime affecting commercial premises as part of the Commercial Victimisation Survey, which was last published in May 2023 and is available at:
This includes data on the proportion of premises which experienced a physical assault on their staff, and the responses of the police to reports of crime from commercial premises.
These data provide us with a good understanding of the prevalence to crime against retail premises. The Home Office does not hold data on the number of incidents of retail crime and as such it is not possible to calculate a proportion of retail crime incidents that were attended by the police. The Home Office also holds no information on the number of cases where CCTV or body cam evidence were collected.
Police forces across England and Wales have recently committed to pursuing any available evidence where there is a reasonable chance it could lead them to catching a perpetrator and solving a crime. For retail crime this could include reviewing CCTV evidence to identify suspects or using the Police National Database for facial searches where appropriate to do so.
I encourage the innovative use of new technology including facial recognition, where legal and appropriate. It is for individual retailers to decide what tools to use to prevent retail crime.
Operational decisions will always be a matter for individual police chiefs and their force. This Government has given the police more resources to deal with crimes, including retail crime, and, thanks to our successful uplift programme through which we recruited over 20,000 additional officers, we now have a record number of officers across forces in England and Wales. The specific data requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of retail crime reports that result in the police collecting (a) CCTV and (b) bodycam evidence.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Retail crime of any form, including violence and abuse, is not acceptable, and the Government takes this issue very seriously.
The Government has legislated to introduce a statutory aggravating factor for assault against any public facing worker via section 156 of the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. The statutory aggravating factor applies in cases of assault where an offence is committed against those performing a public duty or providing a service to the public and ensures the courts treat the public-facing nature of a victim’s role as an aggravating factor when considering the sentence for an offence.
The Home Office works closely with retailers and trade organisations, including USDAW, and police partners via the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to ensure that the response to crimes affecting the retail sector is as robust as it can be.
On a national level, the Home Office works closely with the police-led National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) to understand the crimes affecting businesses and help ensure businesses and police are working effectively together. The Home Office is committed to working closely with the NBCC on all aspects of business crime and has provided funding to assist with their online retail crime hub which holds vital resource assets for the retail sector, including training packages. Shopworker Videos (nbcc.police.uk)
Further training is available on the British Retail Consortium website, which hosts a dedicated resource page on behalf of the NRCSG and includes valuable links to training to help retail workers de-escalate threatening situations.DE-ESCALATION TRAINING (brc.org.uk)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on crime affecting commercial premises as part of the Commercial Victimisation Survey, which was last published in May 2023 and is available at:
This includes data on the proportion of premises which experienced a physical assault on their staff, and the responses of the police to reports of crime from commercial premises.
These data provide us with a good understanding of the prevalence to crime against retail premises. The Home Office does not hold data on the number of incidents of retail crime and as such it is not possible to calculate a proportion of retail crime incidents that were attended by the police. The Home Office also holds no information on the number of cases where CCTV or body cam evidence were collected.
Police forces across England and Wales have recently committed to pursuing any available evidence where there is a reasonable chance it could lead them to catching a perpetrator and solving a crime. For retail crime this could include reviewing CCTV evidence to identify suspects or using the Police National Database for facial searches where appropriate to do so.
I encourage the innovative use of new technology including facial recognition, where legal and appropriate. It is for individual retailers to decide what tools to use to prevent retail crime.
Operational decisions will always be a matter for individual police chiefs and their force. This Government has given the police more resources to deal with crimes, including retail crime, and, thanks to our successful uplift programme through which we recruited over 20,000 additional officers, we now have a record number of officers across forces in England and Wales. The specific data requested is not held centrally.