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177W
Written Answers
26 OCTOBER 2009
Written Answers
178W
(this may be because the person gave different names, or
different versions of their name, on separate arrests, or
because of upgrading of profiles). It is currently estimated
that 13.8 per cent. of profiles held on the NDNAD are
replicates. The replication rate of 13.8 per cent. should
only be applied over the entire database however, as the
replication rate for individual police forces varies
considerably. The presence of these replicate profiles on
the NDNAD does not impact on the effectiveness and
integrity of the database.
Table 1
Force
Number of subject profiles as at
15 October 2009
Number of individuals
(estimated)
Proportion of total subject
profiles held on the NDNAD
(percentage)
Scotland 271,693 — 4.6
England and Wales, inc. BTP 5,532,847 — 93.6
Northern Ireland 74,431 — 1.3
Other 1 31,201 — 0.5
Total 5,910,172 5,094,568 100.0
1
For example, Guernsey police, Ministry of Defence police etc.
Table 2
Force
Number of crime scene profiles as at
15 October 2009
Proportion of crime scene profiles on the
NDNAD (percentage)
Scotland 13,153 3.6
England and Wales, inc. BTP 351,367 95.6
Northern Ireland 1,753 0.5
Other 1 1,262 0.3
Total 367,535 100
1
For example, Guernsey police, Ministry of Defence police etc.
Dogs: Animal Welfare
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the
Home Department what recent trends he has identified
in the prevalence of dog fighting in the UK; and what
steps his Department is taking to encourage police
forces to allocate adequate resources towards reducing
the incidence of dog fighting. [294918]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
Our regular meetings with the RSPCA include reviewing
dog fighting issues, which has long been an illegal
activity. It is premature to speculate on the basis of the
available evidence whether there have been any significant
trends in the prevalence of dog fighting.
However, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 updated and
strengthened the law on animal fighting. The Act created
separate offences for animal fighting and significantly
increased the maximum financial penalties available to
the courts for such offences. Anyone found guilty of an
offence related to animal fighting is liable to a maximum
fine of £20,000 (previously £5,000), or six months’
imprisonment, or both.
We have also recently published new guidance for the
police on the enforcement of dangerous dogs law as
well as provided the Association of Chief Police Officers
(ACPO) with £20,000 to assist in the training of police
officers in the use of dangerous dogs law. The guidance
and training includes the identification of illegal pit bull
type dogs that are commonly used in dog fighting.
The Home Office are legislating (in the Policing and
Crime Bill) to create a new power to prevent gang-related
violence. This will enable police or local authorities to
ask the courts to prohibit gang members from doing a
number of things, including being in charge of an
animal in a public place.
Drug Interventions Programme
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the
Home Department how many and what proportion of
people arrested and tested under the Drug Interventions
Programme were positive for (a) heroin and (b) crack
cocaine in each police force area in each year since 2003.
[294178]
Alan Johnson: The drug testing of offenders for specified
Class A drugs (heroin and cocaine/crack) in police
custody came into operation from 2003 across 30 Basic
Command Units (BCUs) as part of the Drug Interventions
Programme (DIP). Since that time the programme has
expanded in a phased approach to 66 BCUs in 2004 and
some 107 BCUs in 2005. DIP currently conducts drug
testing in 109 BCUs across England and Wales.
Only offenders arrested or charged with a “trigger
offence”—largely acquisitive crime related offences—are
required to provide a sample to be tested for specified
Class A drugs.
Tables 1, 2 and 3 show the number of positive tests
under the Drug Interventions Programme for heroin
only, cocaine only, and heroin and cocaine combined,
for each financial year since data was available.
Table 1: Heroin only
Force 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Avon and Somerset 223 213 408 319 334
Bedfordshire 179 223 328 90 165
Cambridgeshire 164 157 277 196 244
City of London — — 124 84 102
Cleveland 596 516 1,073 988 1,031