Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ben Wallace and Lucy Frazer

Monday 20th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Frazer (South East Cambridgeshire) (Con)]

8. What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of regional organised crime units.

[The Minister for Security (Mr Ben Wallace)]

Regional organised crime units are a critical part of the national policing network, and an efficient and effective vehicle for tackling complex and serious organised crime. Since 2013, the Government have invested £140 million in ROCU.

[Lucy Frazer]

Hare coursing is a regional issue and a serious concern to those in my constituency. What steps are being taken to ensure that local police forces can take measures to stop such offences?

[Mr Wallace]

I recognise my hon. and learned Friend’s concern about hare coursing. If there is any suspicion that a crime has been committed, the concern should be referred to the relevant police force. Regional organised crime units lead investigations into complex and serious organised crimes. Decisions on investigations adopted by these units that are based on threat, risk and harm are for the police.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lucy Frazer (South East Cambridgeshire) (Con)]

T5. I welcome the reduction in traditional crime, but we still face challenges with online crime. On Friday, I attended a workshop run by Barclays in Ely to educate my constituents about how to keep safe online. How is the Home Office working with the police and other stakeholders to tackle online crime?

[The Minister for Security (Mr Ben Wallace)]

Like my hon. and learned Friend, I recently met a number of banks to discuss how they can help to keep people safe online. Barclays has done an extremely good job with its latest campaign, as has NatWest; I went to its launch today. The Government work closely with them in the joint fraud taskforce to make sure that we come up with joint responses and help each other fund tackling such problems.