Monday Volume 622 6 March 2017 No. 119 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 6 March 2017 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2017 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 545 6 MARCH 2017 546 arming the police; it is about the public being vigilant House of Commons and ensuring sufficient resources for the counter-terrorism unit to engage with communities? That is the way we Monday 6 March 2017 deal with this threat, as well as arming the police. Amber Rudd: I happily join the right hon. Gentleman The House met at half-past Two o’clock in commending the announcement made by Mark Rowley and the work done in general by our counter-terrorism PRAYERS police officers in London and beyond. He is absolutely right that it is essential we do not think we can solve this issue simply by putting more money into it. We need to [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] work closely with local communities, so that everybody plays a part in countering this vile crime. Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): The armed Oral Answers to Questions response capability of the British Transport Police is a relatively new function, yet the prospect of a mass casualty attack at one of our major transport interchanges HOME DEPARTMENT is probably one of the more likely scenarios. Can the Home Secretary assure me that there is maximum integration and co-operation between the British Transport The Secretary of State was asked— Police and local territorial police forces? Terrorism: Armed Police Protection Amber Rudd: I can reassure my hon. Friend that the local transport police and local police forces will always 1. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): What steps work closely together. We are very mindful of where the she is taking to increase the level of armed police likely places might be for any attack. He is right that protection to counter the threat of terrorist activity in that will often involve large transport hub areas, so we the UK. [909046] are careful to give specific advice to those areas where necessary. The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Amber Rudd): We are providing £144 million over five Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden) (Lab): years, of which £32 million will be provided between Does the Home Secretary agree that countering the 2017-18 to enhance our armed policing capability and terrorist threat begins with preventing radicalisation? capacity to be able to respond more quickly and effectively She will be aware of the case of Tanveer Ahmed, who is to a firearms attack. This means that the number of in prison for murdering the peaceful Ahmadiyya armed police will increase by more than 1,000. Additional shopkeeper, Mr Assad Shah. From his prison cell, round-the-clock specialist teams will be created outside Mr Ahmed is using the phone and letters to continue to London and 41 additional police armed response vehicles radicalise people against Ahmadiyya Muslims. Given will be on the streets. the increase in anti-Ahmadiyya extremism, is the Home Secretary confident that she has enough Urdu speakers Michael Fabricant: I am concerned by the fact that a in the entry clearance section at the high commission in number of armed police officers have said to me, both Islamabad and here in London? here in the Palace of Westminster and in Downing Street, that they do not feel they have the freedom to act that they should have because of the rules of engagement. Amber Rudd: The hon. Lady raises counter-radicalism, Can the rules be changed to make them fit for purpose? which is a very important element of our counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategy. I can reassure her that Amber Rudd: I recognise that this is sometimes a a lot of additional work is going on in prisons to ensure difficult issue. We have been reviewing the support we that counter-radicalism takes place. My right hon. Friend provide to our firearms officers so that they can carry the Justice Secretary has taken additional steps to work out their crucial duties without fear, while ensuring with people who are being radicalised or are the sources there is necessary scrutiny. My hon. Friend has specific of radicalisation. I hope that that will yield positive concerns about automatic suspension and firing first. I results. can confirm that only in exceptional circumstances would someone be automatically suspended for using Robert Jenrick (Newark) (Con): Will the Home Secretary their gun. There is no rule prohibiting officers from join me in praising the work of the east midlands shooting first. Their decision is and must be based on operational support service, which places armed officers an assessment of threat to life, including their own. I in the smaller cities and towns of the east midlands, and would be delighted if he would like to meet me or the will she ensure that smaller cities have the resources Minister to discuss this matter further. they need? A terrorist attack is just as likely to happen in a city like Nottingham or Derby as in London. Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab): Will the Home Secretary join me in commending Mark Rowley and the Amber Rudd: My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I counter-terrorism team on the announcement today will join him in commending the work of the east that 13 terrorist threats have been thwarted in the past midlands service. We are mindful of the fact that, four years? Does she agree that this is not just about although London can be the central target, other cities 547 Oral Answers 6 MARCH 2017 Oral Answers 548 could also be a target. We are mindful that our counter- mentioned. I absolutely back up his call that everybody terrorism efforts go way beyond London to other cities, should report crime. There are some excellent initiatives but they are always intelligence-led. in town centres all over the country through which businesses and the police are working well together to Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): The ensure that such an increase in reporting happens. Home Secretary knows that many of our constituents are saying that they see fewer police in their towns, on Controlling and Coercive Behaviour their streets and indeed on their roads. The Budget is coming up, so surely we should have some commitment 3. Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North) (Lab): What assessment to making the level of policing for counter-terrorism in her Department has made of the effectiveness of current our communities as high as possible. legislation on controlling and coercive behaviour; and if she will make a statement. [909048] Amber Rudd: I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that there has been a 30% increase in the budget for counter- Mr Speaker: I call Minister Newton. terrorism and we expect that to continue. When it comes to ordinary policemen, I am sure that the hon. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Gentleman will, like me, welcome the fact that crime Home Department (Sarah Newton): Mrs Newton indeed, has fallen by 25% since 2010. The key element is that Mr Speaker. our police forces have the tools to deliver that reduction We introduced the new offence of controlling and in crime, and I believe that under this Government they coercive behaviour to shift the focus of the criminal do. justice system from single incidents to identifying and addressing patterns of abuse. The Home Secretary will Retail Crime chair a working group to drive change in how we think about and tackle domestic abuse, and this will include 2. Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con): What recent closely monitoring the implementation of this new offence. assessment she has made of trends in the level of retail crime. [909047] Kelvin Hopkins: I thank the Minister for her answer, but existing police powers to remove perpetrators of The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the domestic violence from a property are tremendously Home Department (Sarah Newton): I very much welcome under-used, largely because costs and cuts in police this question from my hon. Friend, who is chairman of funding have made the situation worse. What is the the all-party parliamentary group on retail crime, which Minister going to do to help protect women affected by recently launched a report on this very subject. I can domestic violence? assure him that we take retail crime very seriously. I am co-chair of the National Retail Crime Steering Group Sarah Newton: This new offence was brought in right with the British Retail Consortium, which brings together at the end of 2015, so the Office for National Statistics retailers and the police to understand the challenge and will not report on the level of uptake of the new police take effective action. powers until later this spring. From my conversations with the police up and down the length and breadth of Martin Vickers: I thank the Minister for her reply, the country, I know that they are making very good use but she will be aware of growing concern among retailers of the new powers. about levels of both physical and verbal abuse. Will she do something to ensure that police across the country 20. [909066] Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con): May I prioritise this issue sufficiently? Retailers are worried commend the Government for their recent action to that different areas receive a different response from the combat coercive or controlling behaviour by creating different forces. this new offence? Will the Minister outline the work that police forces are doing up and down the country to Sarah Newton: Let us be absolutely clear: violence or combat crimes that disproportionately affect women, verbal abuse of any kind is simply not acceptable for such as stalking? any workforce in our country.