Written questions by Vickers.

How many times her Department has recorded an asylum claimant’s self-declared age as their official age in circumstances where their age could not be independently verified since June 2024.

The requested information is not currently available from published statistics and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at a disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of raised and resolved age disputes is published in table Asy_D05 of the 'Age disputes detailed datasets'. Age disputes data for July 2024 onwards is not available due to ongoing work on a new case working system. Updated data will be included in a future edition of the Immigration System Statistics release.

What estimate she has made of the number of life jackets recovered from small boat crossings since 4 July 2024; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of their disposal.

The information requested is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The majority of life jackets seized arrive in very poor condition and may be damaged during the recovery process, and are disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors and, where appropriate, any suitable materials are recycled.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of defaulting to a claimant’s self-declared age where no independent verification is available on the provision of effective (a) safeguarding and (b) community safety.

The age of a person arriving in the UK is normally established from the documents with which they have travelled, but many do not have any definitive documentary evidence to support their claimed age.There are clear safeguarding issues which arise if a child is inadvertently treated as an adult, and equally if an adult is wrongly accepted as a child and placed in accommodation with children to whom they could present a risk.Where there is reason to doubt an individual’s claimed age, immigration officers are required to make an initial age decision to determine whether the individual should be treated as a child or an adult. This is an important first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure individuals are routed to the correct adult or child process for assessing their asylum or immigration claim.If there is doubt whether a claimant is an adult or child, they will be referred to a local authority’s Children’s Services Department who are then able to either undertake an age assessment themselves or can refer into the National Age Assessment Board for further consideration of their age in the interests of safeguarding. Regardless of age, where issues relating to safeguarding or community safety are raised, referrals will be made to the relevant authorities.

What safeguards are in place to ensure that recording an asylum claimant’s self-declared age does not place adults at risk of being accommodated with children.

The age of a person arriving in the UK is normally established from the documents with which they have travelled, but many do not have any definitive documentary evidence to support their claimed age.There are clear safeguarding issues which arise if a child is inadvertently treated as an adult, and equally if an adult is wrongly accepted as a child and placed in accommodation with children to whom they could present a risk.Where there is reason to doubt an individual’s claimed age, immigration officers are required to make an initial age decision to determine whether the individual should be treated as a child or an adult. This is an important first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure individuals are routed to the correct adult or child process for assessing their asylum or immigration claim.If there is doubt whether a claimant is an adult or child, they will be referred to a local authority’s Children’s Services Department who are then able to either undertake an age assessment themselves or can refer into the National Age Assessment Board for further consideration of their age in the interests of safeguarding. Regardless of age, where issues relating to safeguarding or community safety are raised, referrals will be made to the relevant authorities.

What recent steps she has taken towards delivering a medal for police officers medically discharged due to injuries sustained while serving.

Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.

What progress she has made on expanding multi-agency safeguarding hubs across police forces in the North East.

Multi-agency working is critical to safeguarding children, and multi-agency safeguarding hubs (or ‘multi-agency front doors’) play an important role in the safeguarding system. However, the Government is going further to better protect children, including through the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which is establishing multi-agency child protection teams and improving information sharing, including through a single unique identifier.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Operation Soteria on the prosecution of sexual offences.

The new Centre for VAWG and Public Protection, which launched in April 2025, has brought together three existing victim orientated policing programmes, including Operation Soteria, to oversee the response to all forms of VAWG and child sexual abuse. This will ensure that this expertise can be harnessed and put into practice in forces across the country, intensify cooperation and enhance intelligence sharing.Through Operation Soteria, we are supporting police and prosecutors to deliver a step-change in how they investigate rape. The Home Office invested £9.4 million to develop a new National Operating Model (NOM) for the investigation of rape. This model was developed through Operation Soteria, which brought together frontline policing from across 19 forces and academics from a range of disciplines to test new tools and techniques. All police forces in England and Wales are now implementing this new approach to rape investigations.It is not possible to link changes in metrics solely to Operation Soteria, as they are likely to be the result of various changes introduced to improve outcomes in adult rape cases however, there have been positive improvements in some key metrics since forces began implementing Operation Soteria – such as prosecution volumes.

What support is available to police forces tackling rural crime in (a) County Durham and (b) North Yorkshire.

Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why this Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas. Under our Safer Streets Mission reforms, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping. This financial year we are providing the first Home Office funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit, a national policing unit which help forces tackle rural crime priorities and is a great example of farmers and police working together at national and local level. We are also working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, to ensure the Government’s Safer Streets Mission benefits every community. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will ensure that every community in England and Wales will have named and contactable officers dealing with local issues, and that neighbourhood teams spend the majority of their time in their communities providing visible patrols and engaging with local communities and businesses. This will be supported by the delivery of up to an additional 3000 officers into neighbourhood teams by Spring next year, as part of our ambition to deliver 13,000 neighbourhood officers into police forces across England and Wales by the end of this parliament.

What recent steps she has taken to help tackle organised crime networks operating in ports in the North East.

The Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime (SOC) across the United Kingdom, including criminal activity at and around our ports. The Home Office works closely with law enforcement partners, including the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force, and regional police forces, to disrupt organised crime groups operating in the North East and nationally.In November 2024, the Prime Minister announced an additional £58 million for the NCA’s core budget in 2025/26, representing a 9% increase from the previous year. On 11 June 2025, the Chancellor confirmed up to £280 million per year for the Border Security Command (BSC) by 2028–29. This investment supports the NCA’s expanded capacity to tackle organised immigration crime, including the recruitment of 100 new specialist officers, bringing the total dedicated full time employees close to 500.The BSC is working strategically across the border security system, alongside the NCA, police, and intelligence agencies, to dismantle smuggling gangs and disrupt their supply chains. It is also collaborating with international partners to pursue organised immigration crime groups operating across Europe and beyond, with recent operations resulting in widely publicised arrests.While the BSC continues to mature, it is already working closely with delivery partners across Whitehall to collect system-wide data on organised immigration crime disruptions. This will help track long-term impact, support operational delivery, and ensure a secure and effective border. This collaborative approach is designed to increase the number of criminal groups dismantled and reduce small boat crossings, with performance monitored to inform future strategy.The NCA also works with UK and international partners to tackle SOC at the border. For example, following a joint operation with Dutch authorities, an individual was sentenced recently to 17 years for conspiring to import 1.5 tonnes of Class A drugs through the Port of Immingham. The drugs, concealed in rolls of artificial grass, had an estimated street value of £120 million. This case demonstrates the NCA’s ability to disrupt high-harm criminal networks operating at UK ports.

How many additional police officers have been deployed in Cleveland Police since July 2024.

The Home Office does not hold the data requested.The Home Office collects and publishes data biannually on the number of police officers, as at 31 March each year, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.Table H1 of the data tables accompanying the publication includes the number of police officers available for duty by Police Force Area which excludes police officers on long term absence. Monthly breakdowns, including a figure for July 2024, however, are not available.

What steps she is taking to support local authorities in tackling illegal encampments.

The police and local authorities are equipped with a range of powers to respond to unauthorised encampments. These include long-standing provisions under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, as well as additional powers introduced through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.The response to unauthorised encampments is led locally, involving multi-agency collaboration between local authorities, police, and relevant services. This approach supports community engagement and ensures that responses are tailored to local needs.Statutory guidance issued by the Home Office sets out how these powers should be applied, including the importance of considering welfare needs and ensuring that any enforcement action is lawful, necessary and proportionate.The criminal offence in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, introduces penalties for those who cause significant damage, disruption or distress while residing on land without permission in or with a vehicle, and refuse to leave when asked. The offence is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 3 months, or a fine of up to £2,500, or both, and/or seizure of the vehicle.

What recent estimate she has made of the number of knife crime incidents in the Tees Valley.

The Home Office collects information on the number of offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by the police in England and Wales at the Police Force Area level only.The latest published information for Cleveland Police, published by the Office for National Statistics, can be found in Table P5 here: Crime in England and Wales: Police Force Area data tables - Office for National Statistics

If she will meet with (a) the Hon. Member for Stockton West and (b) a delegation of medically discharged police officers to discuss the case for a medal recognising their (i) service and (ii) sacrifice.

Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.

What her planned timetable is for introducing a medal for police officers medically discharged as a result of service-related injuries.

Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.

If she will publish a list of police forces without a named officer assigned to each ward.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee set out commitments for police forces to implement by July 2025. These foundation commitments have now been achieved. The public can now expect forces to be delivering on the guarantee across England and Wales to ensure consistent and high-quality neighbourhood policing.As part of the Guarantee, all forces across England and Wales now have a named, contactable officer for each of their neighbourhood areas, and details of neighbourhood officers can be found on police force websites.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Police Uplift Programme in high-crime areas.

The Police Uplift Programme supported forces in England and Wales to deliver the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers by March 2023.The deployment of police officers is a matter for operationally independent Chief Constable and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Mayors with PCC functions.An evaluation of the impact of the Police Uplift Programme, which focuses on the impact of the programme on policing as a service, policing as an employer, and longer-term policing and crime outcomes is expected to be published later this year.

What steps she is taking to improve emergency call handling times by forces.

The process handling of emergency and non-emergency calls to the Police is determined by operationally independent local forces, however The Home Office and Policing have undertaken work in support of national consistency and to reduce wait times for the public.Average wait time data for 999 emergency calls to policing is publicly available at: 999 performance data | Police.uk. While average wait time data for 101 non-emergency calls is publicly available at: 101 performance data | Police.uk. Both datasets demonstrate overall improvement in reducing wait times for the public, achieved through force collaboration at national level to agree on key performance metrics and share best practices.The Home Office is also funding work to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into force control rooms to triage non-policing demand to the correct service, support forces in better understanding type and volume of calls and support call handlers in administrative tasks during and after calls and in completing rapid risk assessments.The Home Office and Policing are committed to delivering greater channel choice for the public when reporting crimes or concerns, this includes funding the availability of online crime reporting and pilots of a national Victim’s Portal where the public can communicate with officers via direct messaging rather than telephone should they prefer.

What recent steps she has taken to reduce levels of antisocial behaviour in town centres in the North East.

This Government wants town centres to be vibrant, welcoming places where businesses thrive and people feel safe and come to shop, socialise and live.Police and Crime Commissioners are leading on targeted action to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour that blights our town centres and high streets as part of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative. The work is being delivered in partnership with councils, schools, health services, businesses, transport providers and community groups all playing a role over the summer.Under the initiative, partners will use targeted enforcement, visible policing and place-based interventions to reduce retail and street crime and anti-social behaviour in over 500 town centres and high streets, including Stockton-on-Tees, across England and Wales. The full list of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative locations (also shown regionally) can be found here: List of Safer Streets summer initiative locations - GOV.UKIn addition, the Home Office is also providing £66.3 million funding in 2025-26 to all 43 forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence and anti-social behaviour. Cleveland Police will receive £1,420,423 of this funding to use across the county.

What discussions her Department has had with police representative bodies on the (a) design and (b) eligibility criteria for a medal recognising medically discharged officers injured in the line of duty.

Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.

What representations her Department has received from police officers’ associations on the introduction of a medal for officers medically discharged as a result of service-related injuries.

Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.