Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Morgan Excerpts

Monday 21st January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Tracy Brabin (Batley and Spen) (Lab/Co-op)]

3. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of unsolved crime.

[Stephen Morgan (Portsmouth South) (Lab)]

13. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of unsolved crime.

[The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service (Mr Nick Hurd)]

In the year to June 2018, the proportion of recorded crime that was closed with no suspect identified was 47%—a similar proportion to that in the previous year.

[Mr Hurd]

I am sure that, given the seriousness of the point the hon. Lady raises, she will welcome the fact that rates of prosecutions and convictions for rape and sexual offences are at their highest ever level. She also asked about funding, and she wants more resources for her local police force, so I hope that she will support the proposed police funding settlement that will, if the NPCC uses the flexibility, provide an additional £28.5 million for her local police force.

[Stephen Morgan]

In Hampshire, just 4% of sexual offences and just 14% of robberies now result in a charge. Can the Minister honestly tell the people of Portsmouth that after losing 1,000 police officers and a staggering £70 million in central Government funding, my city’s streets are safer?

[Mr Hurd]

The hon. Gentleman also refers to the conviction rates for rape and sexual offences, which are at record levels. They are low in percentage terms—unacceptably low—but we are making progress, and it is incredibly important that we do so, because one of the success stories of the past few years has been in encouraging vulnerable victims of so-called hidden crime to come forward. I hope that the hon. Gentleman would welcome that and that, given his concern about seeing Hampshire police properly funded, he will vote for the proposed police funding settlement, which would see police funding for his local force double.