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Police Recruitment
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers are available to his Department to ring-fence funding for the recruitment of police officers; and if he will make a statement. [97739]
Mr. Charles Clarke: For 2000-01, grant for this purpose will be paid, following a challenge fund exercise, using the provisions of the Appropriation Act 1999. The bidding guidance to forces will make it clear that, under the challenge fund, grant will be allocated on the basis that it will be used only for recruitment over and above the number forces would otherwise have recruited over the next three years.
Crime Fighting Fund
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the new Crime Fighting Fund will be ring-fenced for (a) the recruitment of new police officers and (b) general front-line policing responsibilities; and if he will make a statement. [97738]
Mr. Straw: Money will be made available through the Crime Fighting Fund to recruit 5,000 more police officers over and above the number forces would otherwise have recruited over the next three years commencing in April 2000. £35 million will be ring-fenced for this purpose in year 1 with further sums being made available in years 2 and 3. The money will be ring-fenced for front-line policing. It is standard practice for newly trained recruits to be put on uniformed patrol.
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Crime Fighting Fund will be distributed between police forces; and if he will make a statement. [97740]
Mr. Straw:
Forces will be invited to submit bids to the Home Office for a share of the money. We are currently preparing guidance setting out the criteria which forces
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will need to meet to benefit from the Fund. We will be discussing our proposals with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities before formally inviting bids from forces. I refer the hon. member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Ryedale (Mr. Greenway) on 4 November 1999, Official Report, column 298.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police authorities in England and Wales use horse-mounted police officers as part of their regular complement. [98076]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Fourteen: Avon and Somerset, City of London, Cleveland, Greater Manchester, Humberside, Lancashire, Merseyside, Metropolitan, Northumbria, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Thames Valley and West Yorkshire.
Mr. Stevenson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) civilian staff were employed in Staffordshire Police Force in each year since 1979. [97767]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Information on police officer and civilian support staff strength is collected at the end of March and September. The figures for the period requested are set out in the table; all figures are for full-time equivalents.
| Total Officer Strength (11) | Total Civilian Strength (12) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 1,978 | 589 |
| 1980 | 2,051 | 587 |
| 1981 | 2,096 | 623 |
| 1982 | 2,086 | 629 |
| 1983 | 2,080 | 639 |
| 1984 | 2,090 | 650 |
| 1985 | 2,066 | 665 |
| 1986 | 2,087 | 666 |
| 1987 | 2,113 | 670 |
| 1988 | 2,135 | 677 |
| 1989 | 2,164 | 651 |
| 1990 | 2,187 | 692 |
| 1991 | 2,217 | 749 |
| 1992 | 2,176 | 736 |
| 1993 | 2,179 | 734 |
| 1994 | 2,208 | (13)-- |
| 1995 | 2,231 | 749 |
| 1996 | 2,209 | 754 |
| 1997 | 2,211 | 763 |
| 1998 | 2,292 | 866 |
| 1999 | 2,238 | 1,044 |
(11) Figures are as at 31 March
(12) As at 31 December. Figures for 1995 onwards are as at 31 March
(13) Not available
The powers of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to set police establishment levels for each force were removed under the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994. It is for the chief officer to determine staffing requirements within the overall resources available. This year, Staffordshire Police Authority has set a budget that will allow the force to spend up to £122.2 million--an increase of £3.3 million or 2.7 per cent. over 1998-99.
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This increase, along with the two per cent. efficiency improvements that have been set, should be sufficient for the force to maintain levels of service.
Future staffing levels are for the Chief Constable to determine within the overall resources available. However, the Government are making available additional resources, in a new ring-fenced Crime Fighting Fund, to enable the police to recruit 5,000 officers, over and above those that had otherwise planned to recruit over the next three years. Staffordshire Police will be able to apply for a share of this funding.
Mr. Alan Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female prisoners are currently being held in United Kingdom jails; and what was the average proportion of sentence served by female prisoners in the most recent year for which figures are available. [97718]
Mr. Boateng:
The number of females held in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on Friday 29 October was 3,405.
The average proportion of sentence served on release for female prisoners released during 1998 was 53 per cent. This includes time served on remand.
Information about prisons and prisoners in Scotland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the First Minister of the Scottish Executive and in Northern Ireland for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Mr. Randall:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of (a) police officers and (b) civilian employees employed in the Hillingdon Division of the Metropolitan Police for the years 1993 to 1998 inclusive. [97616]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has provided the following information:
| Police | Civil Staff | |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | (14)-- | 106 |
| 1994-95 | 424 | 119 |
| 1995-96 | 423 | 122 |
| 1996-97 | 435 | 120 |
| 1997-98 | 386 | 100 |
| 1998-99 | 399 | 109 |
(14) In 1994-95 Hillingdon Division was part of 6 Area. The Metropolitan Police District was then restructured into five Areas. 6 Area records of police officer deployment are no longer available.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were serving in the Barnet and Hertsmere division of the Metropolitan Police (a) on 1 May 1997 and (b) according to the most recent figures available. [97298]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that the information requested is not available for 1 May 1997, but that information is held for 1 July 1997, when 277 police officers were serving in the Barnet and Hertsmere division.
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Barnet and Hertsmere has now been combined with the Golders Green and West Hendon divisions within the Metropolitan Police. Information about police numbers for these three divisions is therefore now held as one. The number of police officers serving in Barnet Borough on 1 November 1999 was 681.
Mr. Edward Davey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many of the reparation orders made under the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 were imposed in respect of offences relating to graffiti; and if he will make a statement; [97277]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Pilots of the reparation order under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 began in five areas in September 1998 and will run for 18 months. 829 reparation orders had been made in the pilot areas by the end of September 1999, the latest date for which figures are readily available. Information has not been collected centrally on the offences for which reparation orders have been imposed. However, the pilots are being evaluated by a team led by Sheffield University, one of whose reports is expected to analyse the relevant offences.
Mr. Edward Davey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a breakdown of the offences for which (a) anti-social behaviour orders, (b) sex offender orders, (c) parenting orders, (d) child safety orders, (e) reparation orders, (f) drug treatment and testing orders and (g) action plan orders, have been made to date under the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [97361]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The anti-social behaviour order, sex offender order and child safety order under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 are not criminal penalties. They are preventative in nature and are made on application, in the case of the anti-social behaviour order and sex offender order, to the magistrates' court acting in its civil capacity and, in the case of the child safety order, to the family proceedings court. However, breach of an anti-social behaviour order or sex offender order does constitute an offence.
A parenting order can follow a parental school attendance conviction under the Education Act 1996, as well as offences by children and young people or the making of an anti-social behaviour order, sex offender order or child safety order in respect of them. Piloting began in nine areas in September 1998 and 122 orders had been made there in all proceedings by the end of September 1999.
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(2) what assessment his Department has made of the use of (a) reparation orders made by the courts under the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and (b) reparation orders imposed in respect of offences relating to graffiti; and if he will make a statement. [97276]
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