asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to ensure that practices within the most successful police forces are emulated by those which are recognised as least successful. [HL657]

The Government encourage forces to share best practice in a number of ways, although operational decisions are the responsibility of the chief officer of police.Through the Crime Reduction Programme, we are funding a variety of projects to evaluate the most effective approaches in different circumstances. The results will be made available to all forces and their crime and disorder partners to help them tackle their own crime problems. Under best value, police authorities are required to compare the way they carry out all their functions with other authorities and outside organisations as part of a continuous process of performance improvement. We have provided £1 million funding for the Beacon Scheme for police forces, which encourages them to develop innovative projects which enhance police performance or efficiency and to disseminate these findings throughout the Police Service. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary undertakes a range of thematic inspections on how best to address specific policing issues.