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European Police Office

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to act on the requirement of article K3(2) of the treaty on European Union in respect of designating the convention on a European police office (Europol) CM3050, as a Community treaty by statutory instrument in accordance with section (3) of the European Communities Act 1972. [8304]

Mr. Howard [holding answer 9 January 1996]: There is nothing in article K3(2) of the treaty on European Union which requires the designation of the Europol convention as a Community treaty.

Title VI of the treaty of European Union, pursuant to which the Europol convention was concluded, is not one of the Community treaties for the purposes of the 1972 Act. Accordingly, there is no proposal to make an Order in Council under section 1(3) of the European Communities Act 1972 declaring that the Europol convention is to be so regarded.

Police Officers (Leicester)

Mr. Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in post in Leicester in each year since 1993; and how many are proposed for 1996-97. [8207]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 9 January 1996]: The strength of the Leicestershire constabulary was as follows:

31 December 1993: 1,838
31 December 1994: 1,838
30 September 1995: 1,860.

10 Jan 1996 : Column: 220

It is for the police authority and the chief constable to determine the strength of the force in 1996-97.

Bosnia (Police Officers)

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) civilian, (b) non-civilian police officers have been sent to Bosnia in the last six months; and how many is it planned to send under arrangements currently under discussion. [8184]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 9 January 1996]: Seven police officers have served in Bosnia in the past six months with the Western European Union police operation. We are currently considering the options for a possible future role for British police officers in Bosnia as part of the proposed United Nations civilian policing contingent.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme

Mr. Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many applications for bereavement payments under the criminal injuries compensation tariff scheme, which was withdrawn following the House of Lords ruling, were made (i) in total and (ii) by (a) parents of adult murder and manslaughter victims, (b) adult children of murder and manslaughter victims, (c) unmarried partners of murder and manslaughter victims and (d) fathers of illegitimate children who were murder and manslaughter victims; [7928]

(2) how many bereavement payments were made to applicants under the criminal injuries compensation tariff scheme, which was withdrawn following the House of Lords ruling (i) in total and (ii) to (a) parents of adult murder and manslaughter victims, (b) adult children or murder and manslaughter victims, (c) unmarried partners of murder and manslaughter victims and (d) fathers of illegitimate children who were murder and manslaughter victims. [7927]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 9 January 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on 28 November 1995, Official Report, columns 652-53, and 4 December 1995, Official Report, column 27.

Police (Immediate Response Incidents)

Mr. Straw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents requiring an immediate response were recorded by the police in terms of (a) crime, (b) disorder, (c) traffic, (d) alarms and (e) other, and what number of 999 calls were made in (i) 1993-94 and (ii) 1994-95 in each police force in England and Wales, with totals for England and for Wales. [7966]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 9 January 1996]: The figures for incidents requiring an immediate response and 999 calls recorded by the police in England and Wales are set out in the table. The nature of an incident requiring an immediate response is a matter for individual police forces, and the criteria vary between them. Data are collected only in terms of the total number of incidents requiring an immediate response, and cannot be disaggregated.

10 Jan 1996 : Column: 221

	1993-94		1994-95
Forces	Total 999 calls	Incidents immediate response	Total 999 calls	Incidents immediate response
Avon and Somerset	88,235	82,913	159,800	36,599
Bedfordshire	43,200	1,142	51,192	(3)2,477
Cambridgeshire	53,504	29,406	58,805	33,171
Cheshire	75,094	(4)--	80,035	(4)--
City of London	(5)--	10,560	(5)--	8,169
Cleveland	67,398	3,580	84,346	9,512
Cumbria	33,985	30,152	34,729	28,915
Derbyshire	49,457	53,318	(4)--	48,475
Devon and Cornwall	102,391	26,324	121,798	91,989
Dorset	55,155	12,950	54,791	64,452
Durham	29,447	7,009	29,923	15,542
Essex	110,005	79,845	114,883	72,954
Gloucestershire	40,462	38,738	45,388	37,471
Greater Manchester	416,873	206,715	446,345	175,400
Hampshire	162,082	181,000	170,560	204,023
Hertfordshire	67,610	9,032	77,071	9,757
Humberside	85,632	76,650	88,300	64,704
Kent	130,015	33,707	141,769	43,415
Lancashire	71,986	101,032	102,984	83,240
Leicestershire	100,232	82,057	114,314	98,290
Lincolnshire	34,694	23,424	45,828	37,279
Merseyside	200,711	69,335	220,432	57,898
Metropolitan Police	1,347,207	488,426	1,534,978	418,809
Norfolk	37,143	55,276	48,984	43,817
North Yorkshire	31,956	8,880	56,646	3,661
Northamptonshire	25,027	56,875	32,256	36,520
Northumbria	213,369	95,223	224,569	93,832
Nottinghamshire	119,489	91,643	115,695	92,918
South Yorkshire	123,144	91,060	149,178	47,496
Staffordshire	58,935	32,559	65,266	20,652
Suffolk	22,521	25,307	30,253	26,073
Surrey	56,182	12,024	67,268	(3)11,386
Sussex	94,251	54,373	138,265	58,460
Thames Valley	125,754	130,401	195,016	52,271
Warwickshire	43,468	10,296	48,870	15,896
West Mercia	80,894	56,536	98,539	77,805
West Midlands	358,009	163,109	412,211	142,766
West Yorkshire	267,786	132,746	323,081	111,431
Wiltshire	25,000	41,362	42,768	37,976
England total	5,053,303	2,704,980	5,827,136	2,515,501
Dyfed-Powys	21,231	14,617	24,068	14,059
Gwent	32,191	36,131	35,360	37,832
North Wales	39,945	35,771	40,575	32,333
South Wales	150,370	90,600	158,006	83,251
Wales total	243,737	177,119	258,009	167,475

Notes:

(3) Forces which have based their figures on estimates.

(4) Data not available as collection systems were not in place or were being updated.

(5) 999 calls covered by Metropolitan police.

Source:

Figures supplied by forces to Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary.

Euro '96 Football Matches

Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will allow those police authorities with direct responsibility for policing matches in Euro '96 to spend, if necessary, above the prescribed limit for 1996-97; and if he will make a statement. [7614]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 9 January 1996]: No. Funding for public order policing is included in the police grant settlement for 1996-97.

10 Jan 1996 : Column: 222

Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make additional revenue available to those police authorities which will have responsibility for policing football matches during the Euro '96 competition; and if he will make a statement. [7616]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 9 January 1996]: No specific provision is being made available to police authorities for this purpose, but total funds for the police service are set to increase by around 4 per cent. in 1996-97 to £6.6 billion. The Football Trust has agreed to contribute to the capital costs of the police communications equipment that will be used during the competition. The cost of policing inside football stadiums will be met be the Football Association.

Asylum and Immigration Bill

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when and by what measures he has consulted the main organisations representing police constables concerning his proposals in the Asylum and Immigration Bill. [4468]

Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 6 December 1995]: A copy of our consultation exercise on the prevention of unauthorised employment has been sent to the Association of Chief Police Officers.

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