Written questions by Dhesi.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of smart phone thefts in (a) Slough and (b) the Thames Valley region in each of the last five years.

Set against soaring levels of snatch thefts and pickpocketing, crimes which often involve theft of mobile phones and which for too long have been neglected and not been effectively tackled, the Home Secretary recently brought together police, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, leading tech companies and others to drive more effective collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves.The Summit was hugely constructive, resulting in clear commitments from attendees to work together to tackle the scourge of mobile phone theft and the organised criminality driving it. This includes significantly boosting the sharing of data and intelligence to build a comprehensive picture of the problem, driving joint solutions. All parties will re-convene in three months’ time.To aid police investigations and recovery of stolen goods, our Crime and Policing Bill includes a measure to give police the power to enter and search premises for stolen property which has been electronically geolocation tracked to those premises and it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant without seriously prejudicing the entry and search purpose.The Home Office does not hold data on mobile phone theft at the level requested. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) provides national estimates of the number of victims of mobile phone theft in England and Wales, these data are not broken down to sub-national geographies. The latest CSEW estimates, in the year to March 2024, have been published by the Office for National Statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/focusonpropertycrimeappendixtables

What recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle antisocial behaviour in (a) Slough and (b) Thames Valley.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated ASB lead officer in every police force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders will be applied for by police and local councils and issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and act quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

What steps her Department is taking to provide support to victims of antisocial behaviour.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated ASB lead officer in every police force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders will be applied for by police and local councils and issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and act quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

What her planned timeline is for making a decision on the minimum income requirement once the Migration Advisory Committee review has completed.

On 10th September, the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules. Conducting a review of the financial requirements across the family routes will ensure we have a clear and consistent system.The MAC have already completed a call for evidence, which closed on 11 December, to gather views of stakeholders and those affected by changes to the family rules. More than 2000 people responded – a record for a MAC consultation.It is expected the MAC will issue their report in the Summer. We will carefully consider the MAC’s recommendations before making any further changes and will set out a timetable for responding to the review in due course.

What steps she is taking to tackle spiking by means of injection.

Spiking is an abhorrent crime and illegal in any form, whether through needle, food, drink or vape. The Government is committed, as per its Manifesto, to introduce a new criminal offence for spiking to help police better respond to this crime. It will be delivered in the First Session of this Parliament.In addition, the Home Office is currently supporting a range of work to tackle spiking, including specific training for up to 10,000 people working in the night-time economy (which includes specific information on needle spiking) and testing the efficacy of commercial drug test kits.

What estimate she has made of the number of illegal vapes seized at the border in (a) 2024 and (b) 2023.

Border Force have a strong track record in targeting illegal commodities, and continue to ensure that all goods brought into the UK by passengers are appropriately declared and abide by customs and excise rules.For information the latest transparency returns can be found at the link here: Border Force transparency data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK.

What steps she plans to take to tackle money laundering through cryptocurrencies, in the context of the National Crime Agency's Operation Destabilise investigations.

Cryptoassets can be used illicitly or to launder the proceeds of crime. In April 2024, new powers came into force to search, seize and detain cryptoassets from criminal conduct or terrorist activity or cryptoassets that will be used in criminal conduct or...

What steps her Department is taking to support policing in Anguilla.

Working in partnership with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Home Office continues to provide a range of support to the Royal Anguilla Police Force (RAPF) and this has included development of Anguilla’s crime scene investigation capabilitie...

What percentage of reported incidents of shoplifting result in a (a) suspect being arrested and (b) prosecution being authorised by the CPS.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of shoplifting and bicycle theft offences, and their investigative outcomes, recorded by the police in England and Wales. This includes a breakdown of those where a suspect has been charged....

What percentage of reported bicycle thefts result in a (a) suspect being arrested and (b) prosecution being authorised by the CPS.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of shoplifting and bicycle theft offences, and their investigative outcomes, recorded by the police in England and Wales. This includes a breakdown of those where a suspect has been charged....

How their Department defines strategy.

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

What recent steps has she taken to help tackle crime in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Thames Valley region.

This Government has put prevention front and centre of our plans to improve the lives of people across the United Kingdom. The Safer Streets Mission is the vehicle to drive delivery across Government to halve violence against women and girls, halve knife ...

What steps she is taking to reduce levels of drug offences in Slough constituency.

Reducing drug-related crime is a key priority for this Government and is part of our mission to drive down crime and antisocial behaviour.An additional £267 million in drug and alcohol treatment is being invested into services this year to improve quality...

What steps they are taking to use (a) artificial intelligence and (b) data to help increase their Department's productivity.

The Home Office manages directly, and on behalf of operational partners, significant data assets measured in the tens of billions of rows of data and millions of data subjects. This data is used every day to deliver public services, manage performance and...

What steps she is taking to help reduce the number of hoax calls to the emergency services.

Making a hoax phone call to the emergency services is a criminal offence. All calls to the emergency services are recorded and the number can be traced, even if withheld. Local services regularly remind the public of the serious consequences of hoax calls...

What steps she is taking to reduce instances of post traumatic stress disorder within the (a) police and (b) fire service.

(a) PolicingThe Government has been clear that the wellbeing of our police is a priority, and we want to ensure that all police officers and staff have the appropriate support in place to thrive in their careers and continue to serve the public. Chief Con...

If she will take steps to improve information sharing between emergency services on hoax callers.

Making a hoax phone call to the emergency services is a criminal offence. All calls to the emergency services are recorded and the number can be traced, even if withheld. Local services regularly remind the public of the serious consequences of hoax calls...

What the average cost is of hoax calls made to the (a) police and (b) fire service.

The Home Office does not hold this data.

How many surrender bins there were during the knife amnesty between 26 August 2024 and 23 September 2024.

Between 26 August 2024 and 23 September 2024, the Government ran a surrender and compensation scheme to allow owners of zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes to surrender them and claim compensation before these weapons became prohibited by law on...

What steps her Department is taking to reduce knife crime in Slough.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, and we are taking immediate action to tackle the scourge of serious violence on our streets. We have implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and machetes,...