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Law Enforcement Priorities

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he gives to individual police forces regarding priorities in law enforcement. [70410]

Mr. Denham: Under the Police Act 1996 the Home Secretary sets strategic objectives for the police. These are commonly known as the Ministerial Priorities. For the current year, 2002–03, these are:
To help create safe communities by reducing crime, anti-social behaviour and disorder through effective partnership working, including reducing the availability and use of Class A drugs.

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To reduce the fear of crime in all sections of the community and in particular to increase the trust and confidence in policing amongst minority ethnic communities.
To increase the number of offences for which offenders, and particularly persistent offenders, are caught and brought to justice, in partnership with other criminal justice agencies.

Guidance on how best to achieve these priorities is not issued by the Home Office. It is for each Chief Officer, in consultation with their police authority, to determine the allocation of resources in a way which ensures that the Ministerial Priorities are complied with.

Metropolitan Police

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many frontline Metropolitan police officers have less than two years' experience, broken down by Greater London borough; and if he will make statement. [67007]

Mr. Denham: The information in the table has been provided by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. Newly appointed Police Officers serve a period of probation which normally lasts for two years. The table shows the number of probationer officers by borough. They all perform frontline duties.

Greater London BoroughProbationer Strength as at 31 May 2002
Kensington & Chelsea79
Westminster216
Camden101
Hammersmith & Fulham70
Hackney93
Tower Hamlets92
Waltham Forest61
Redbridge54
Havering52
Newham90
Barking & Dagenham29
Lambeth118
Southwark86
Islington85
Lewisham92
Bromley58
Harrow48
Brent85
Greenwich87
Bexley51
Barnet78
Richmond upon Thames32
Hounslow51
Kingston upon Thames36
Merton34
Wandsworth98
Ealing90
Hillingdon45
Enfield72
Haringey85
Croydon85
Sutton36
Borough Total2,389

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the Metropolitan Police accommodation used to house police officers undergoing their intial training is owned by the Metropolitan Police Force; who owns the properties being

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used by the Metropolitan Police for accommodation which are not owned by the Metropolitan Police; and if he will make a statement. [66817]

Mr. Denham: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the Metropolitan Police Authority owns or leases all the accommodation used to house police officers undergoing their initial training. Currently, 18 per cent of available bed spaces for recruits are leased from the Ministry of Defence at Mill Hill Barracks.

Special Constables

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average gap between recruitment and enlistment of special constables was in the Metropolitan Police in the last 12 months. [65497]

Mr. Denham: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the average processing time for applicants to the Metropolitan Special Constabulary in the past 12 months was 12 weeks (from date of receipt of application to attestation).

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables there were in Buckinghamshire in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [68523]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 16 July 2002]: The Home Office records the number of special constables by police force, not by county. The number of special constables in Thames Valley Constabulary at 30 September between 1997–2001 is as follows:

19971998199920002001
694587472463377

Figures supplied by Thames Valley Police.

Special constables are a key element of our police reform agenda. We are working on a package of measures to help reverse the decline in the number of special constables by improving the way they are recruited, managed and deployed. We are publishing guidance on good practice by the end of the year. We are also keen to improve liaison with employers and to encourage recognition of the wealth of skills and experience that specials bring to the workplace. We have also set aside £300,000 to help "specials champions" drive forward initiatives to improve recruitment and retention.


Police Stations

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations (a) closed and (b) opened in each police authority area in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [66615]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 2 July 2002]: Data are only available from 1990–91. Copies of the table detailing the number of police stations closed and opened, and the total numbers of police stations for each police authority since 1990–91 will be placed in the Library.

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Information is available from all 43 forces for the total number of police stations for the three years to March 2000, March 2001 and March 2002. A number of forces

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were unable to provide data on total police stations or on numbers opened or closed for earlier years and this is reflected in the table.

Number of Police Stations Opened and Closed since 1990–1996

Mar 90 Mar 91Mar 92Mar 93Mar 94Mar 95Mar 96
No of Police StationsOpdClsdTotalOpdClsdTotalOpdClsdTotalOpdClsdTotalOpdClsdTotalOpdClsdTotal
Avon & Somerset82008200820-1810-13680-6620-1448
Bedfordshire (1)
Cambridgeshire350-2330-2310-130003000300-129
Cheshire39003900390039003900390039
City of London2002002002002002002
Cleveland17001700170017101820202022
Cumbria240024002400241003400340034
Derbyshire
Devon & Cornwall981-5940-2920-3892-7841-7784-874
Dorset2700270027002700271-1270027
Durham410-1400040004000403-1420042
Dyfed-Powys45004500450045004500452047
Essex (2) (3)(2) N/AN/AN/A1141-11141-11141-21132-111400114
Gloucestershire7100710-3680-2660-36300630063
Gtr Manchester960096009600960-3930-11820082
Gwent (5)
Hampshire1260-21240-11230-61170-41131-21120-4108
Hertfordshire (3)551-1550055005500550-32230023
Humberside3800380038003800381-2370-235
Kent46004600460-7392-2390-4351-432
Lancashire1110-111000110101111-1111001112-2111
Leicestershire261-12600260026002600260-125
Lincolnshire4510461-1463-1483-3482-2480048
Metropolitan (3)
Merseyside53005300531-1530-15200520052
Norfolk
Northamptonshire11001100110011001100110011
Northumbria
North Wales (1)
North Yorkshire
Noltinghamshire630-16200620-16100611-1613-163
South Wales (4)15026-21742-131634-91581-21572-41553-5153
South Yorkshire8900890-188108900890-3861087
Staffordshire39003900390039003900390039
Suffolk5100510-1500-2327002700270027
Surrey (3)330-1320032003200320-23000
Sussex34003400340034003400340034
Thames Valley4900491050205200521-1521-152
Warwickshire181-1180-1170017001700170-215
West Mercia1100-22881-8810-11700-4660-4620-755
West Midlands7700771-27600760-17510760-175
West Yorkshire
Wiltshire420042004200420-7351-4320-230
TOTALS (6)184331-4019487-36191913-67186521-53183319-88176419-551728

Number of Police Stations Opened and Closed since 1997–2002

Mar 97Mar 98Mar 99Mar 00Mar 01Mar 02
OpdClsdTotalOpdClsdTotalOpdClsdTotalOpdClsdTotalOpdClsdTotalOpd
Avon & Somerset0-13352-1363039003920411
Bedfordshire (1)2(1)N/A110-1100
Cambridgeshire00290-1281-42500250-1240
Cheshire0-13800380-2360-33320350
City of London0020020020020020
Cleveland20240-1231-222002200220
Cumbria1-13400340-1024002400241
Derbyshire2520271
Devon & Cornwall2-5711-4683-3681-4651-1650
Dorset002700270-1261-1260-1253
Durham2-4401-140004000403-3400
Dyfed-Powys0-3444-1471048004800480
Essex (2) (3)1-1114001141-11141-43724-19571
Gloucestershire0-16210630-4590-12471-6422
Gtr Manchester00821-9740-47000700-2680
Gwent (5)57(5)N/A(4)-552(4)4(5)N/A560-7490
Hampshire5-91041-31020-8940-2921-4890
Hertfordshire (3)00231-12300230-22140250
Humberside003510360-2341-2332-2330
Kent1-1323-3321-13200320-2300
Lancashire0-21090-11081-1108001080-11071
Leicestershire30282-2283-328203000301
Lincolnshire1-6430-1421-142004200420
Metropolitan (3)1560-121444
Merseyside00520-1510-1500-6440-1430
Norfolk4200425
Northamptonshire101200120012001200120
Northumbria3600360
North Wales (1)(1)N/A-5540-2520
North Yorkshire3500350
Noltinghamshire10640-22421-142204420461
South Wales (4)4-191381-21374-51361-121251-41221
South Yorkshire0-38420860-4820-2803-6776
Staffordshire00391-2381-1381-13800382
Suffolk002710280028002800280
Surrey (3)00300-2280-2260-42260281
Sussex003400341035103600360
Thames Valley10531-7479-1552-2550-4512
Warwickshire001500150015001500150
West Mercia0-25300534-4531-1531-1531
West Midlands0-3720-2700-1690-16800681
West Yorkshire4000400
Wiltshire0-2280-2260-224002400241
TOTALS (6)25-76167724-69168936-74165120-103197035-80192536

(1) Comprehensive data for openings/closures for Bedfordshire and North Wales for 1999–2000 are not available. First "Total" numbers available are for March 2000.

(2) Data not available for the total number of police stations in Essex at March 1990, or the number of openings/closures during 1990–91. The first "Total" figure available is for March 1991.

(3) 12 police stations were transferred by the Metropolitan Police Authority to boundary forces in April 2000; Essex (2), Herts (4) and Surrey (6).

(4) In 1996–97 South Wales Police transferred nine police stations to Gwent.

(5) Figures for Gwent opening/closures in 1998–99 and 1999–2000 are net openings/closures.

(6) The totals given for 1990 cover data from 33 forces only. Data was not available from the remaining 10 forces. The totals given for 1991–97 cover data from 34 forces. The total figures for the number of police stations for 1998 and 1999 cover data from 35 forces. Although the figures for the total number of police stations for March 2000 covers data from all 43 forces, data on the number of openings/closures in 1999–2000 are only available from 37 forces.


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