Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of collecting data on the number of callouts police attend to (a) attempted suicides and (b) suicides in progress.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect data from police on calls about suicidal ideation or where an apparent suicide is in progress and has no current plans to do so.
The College of Policing sets the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The College further promotes the need for frameworks to assess vulnerability, to aid in consistent identification, support decision making, and to trigger appropriate safeguarding action. Such principles and practices are set out in a number of college products, including the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and the Mental Health APP which has guidance on suicide prevention and bereavement response.
Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of support available to police who attend callouts to attempted suicides.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has been clear that the health and wellbeing of our police is a priority and that those who have faced suicide-related incidents in the line of duty receive the support they need to recover and continue serving.
We continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service, which has developed an evidenced-based trauma support model which is now available to forces. The Service has also introduced a Trauma Tracker tool to help forces better understand exposure to traumatic incidents and ensure timely support for officers and staff.
Chief Constables have a responsibility to manage their workforce effectively and this includes ensuring appropriate training provision for all officers and staff and ensuring their wellbeing.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the suicide prevention training provided to police staff.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect data from police on calls about suicidal ideation or where an apparent suicide is in progress and has no current plans to do so.
The College of Policing sets the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The College further promotes the need for frameworks to assess vulnerability, to aid in consistent identification, support decision making, and to trigger appropriate safeguarding action. Such principles and practices are set out in a number of college products, including the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and the Mental Health APP which has guidance on suicide prevention and bereavement response.
Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle retail crime and violence against shop workers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
Violent and abusive behaviour towards any worker, particularly those who provide a valuable service to the public, is never acceptable. We have taken significant steps to tackle retail crime, including publication of the police-led Retail Crime Action plan which details clear police response commitments and guidance for retailers.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on the case of Maira Shahbaz.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The tragic case of Maira Shahbaz has attracted significant interest, including the petition by Christian NGO Aid to the Church in Need. I am deeply troubled by Maira’s tragic circumstances and have asked my officials to keep me updated on this case.
The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls from religious minorities in Pakistan. Our concerns about such cases, as well as Freedom of Religion or Belief, women and girls’ rights and gender equality more broadly, are regularly raised with the Government of Pakistan.
However, I am not able to provide specific information with regards to Maira Shahbaz’s case as it is a longstanding Government policy not to comment on individual cases. Departing from this policy may put individuals and their family members in danger.
The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.