Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research her Department has conducted into coercive control in domestic violence complaints.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
I refer the Honourable Member to my previous answer on this issue, given on 9 February to written question 222927.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints by victims of crime have been lodged against (a) the police and (b) the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mike Penning
The table shows the total number of complaint cases recorded against all Home
Office Police Forces and the British Transport Police from 2009/10 – 2013/14
(data is from the Independent Police Complaints Commission). Data is not
collected on whether the complainant in each case is a victim of crime.
Full statistics on police complaints are published by the Independent Police
Complaints Commission on its website; this includes a breakdown of the number
of complaints by police force: www.ipcc.gov.uk
The Home Office does not collect data on the number of complaints made against
the Crown Prosecution Service.
*The definition of a complaint was broadened from this point onwards to include direction and control (applies to complaints received on or after 22 November 2012). | ||||||||||||
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of domestic violence were reported to the police in the last three years; and in how many of those cases there was a complaint of coercive control.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The Home Office receives information on the number of domestic abuse incidents recorded by the police. Information is not received on the number of complaints received. The latest available statistics show that the police recorded 755,354 domestic abuse incidents in 2010/11, 817,522 incidents in 2011/12 and 838,026 incidents in 2012/13.
The increase in domestic abuse incidents recorded by the police over this time period is thought to reflect improvements in the identification and recording of these incidents by the police.
The domestic abuse incident collection covers both physical and non-physical abuse, but it is not possible from these data to indentify how many cases included an element of coercive control.
The 2013/14 data will be published by the Office for National Statistics on 12 February 2015.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research her Department has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned into the incidence of coercive control in domestic violence complaints.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The Crime Survey for England and Wales provides comprehensive data on the nature of domestic violence and abuse, and there is now a widespread understanding that domestic abuse is not just about violence. In recognition of this, in March 2013, we expanded the Government’s non-statutory definition of domestic violence and abuse to capture coercive and controlling behaviour.
In 2014, we consulted on whether the legal framework to protect victims of domestic abuse should be strengthened, recognising that coercive and controlling behaviour can be harder to recognise but can have an equally devastating impact on its victims. The majority of respondents to the consultation agreed that there is a gap in the law, and we are now legislating to close this gap. A summary of the evidence collected from the consultation is published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-the-law-on-domestic-abuse
We are committed to improving the way data on domestic abuse including coercive and controlling behaviour is collected. New guidelines have been issued to the police on collecting domestic abuse data against a clear national standard. We are also developing a reliable and safe model for surveying victims of domestic abuse.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests there have been to social media companies under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in the last two years; and on how many occasions the information requested was (a) supplied and (b) refused.
Answered by Mike Penning
Investigatory powers, including interception, communications data and surveillance, are fundamental to investigating crime, safeguarding national security and protecting the public. The use of these powers is subject to
stringent safeguards and is primarily regulated by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
The Interception of Communications Commissioner provides robust, independent oversight of the use of interception and communications data and provides reports to the Prime Minister, which are published and laid in Parliament.
These reports includes statistics on public authorities’ use of interception and communications data powers, and his 2013 report contained more statistics than ever before.
It would not be appropriate to provide further details about the companies to which requests have been made, and their responses to such requests, as this would damage national security and efforts to fight serious crime.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the sale of spyware to individuals across the internet.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Installing spyware on a computer without the owners consent is already covered by the offences in the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Any unauthorised access to a computer however that is achieved, whether by spyware or another programme is an offence under the Computer Misuse Act. It is also an offence to make or supply an article (which includes spyware) intending it to be used to gain unauthorised access to a computer. Similarly, it is an offence to obtain an article with a view to it being supplied for use to commit such an offence. Amendments to section 3A of the Computer Misuse Act in the Serious Crime Bill will also make it an offence to obtain an article intending it to be used to commit such an offence.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to police in England and Wales on investigation of a complaint that spyware is being used against an individual.
Answered by Mike Penning
The College of Policing is responsible for issuing guidance to the police on training and investigations. At the request of the National Policing Lead for Cyber Crime (DCC Peter Goodman) the College of Policing is in the process of
developing Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on cyber crime, which will be focused on cyber-dependent and cyber-enabled crime (as defined in the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy).
The Government is investing £860 million over five years through the National Cyber Security Programme to respond to the threat posed by cyber and online crime. Of this, approximately 10% is being invested in building law enforcement
capabilities to tackle cyber crime. This has been used to build capability at the national, regional, and local level, including delivering training in cyber crime to officers in local police forces.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of spyware devices sold to residents of England and Wales in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Home Office does not hold this information.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of spyware downloads by residents of Engand and Wales in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Home Office does not hold this information.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken to forensically examine a mobile telephone is from the point of seizure by the police in England and Wales in the last five years.
Answered by Mike Penning
This is not data that is stored centrally by the Home Office. The time taken to forensically examine either a mobile telephone or computer will vary considerably dependant on the material being examined. The resourcing of
forensic examination is something that is determined locally by forces.