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Police Retention

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 12 February 2001, Official Report, column 299W, on police retention, what proportion of police officers retired from each force in each year since 1997 (a) on medical grounds (b) at normal retirement age and (c) on other grounds; and what the net change was as a proportion of each force in each year since 1997. [38032]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 27 February 2002]: The figures given in the answer of 12 February 2001, were those collected by the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) and published as Police Personnel Statistics. For the purpose of these statistics, wastage is collected on a headcount basis (ie the number of persons) in the following categories: retirements, resignations and other. The statistics do not distinguish between medical and other retirements.

23 Jul 2002 : Column 1047W

In addition to the information collected by RDS, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) collects information annually about wastage from the police service broken down into the following categories:


Dismissals from force (including requirements to resign)
Voluntary resignations
Medical retirements
Ordinary retirements
Transfers from force
Deaths.

Forces are asked to provide these figures on a full-time equivalent basis, not on a headcount basis. HMIC's information has been used to provide the figures in a table for the numbers and proportion of medical and ordinary retirements and other leavers (excluding transfers), a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. Information for 2001–02 will not be available until later in the year.

As the statistics collected by HMIC are gathered on a different basis from those collected twice a year by RDS, information from the two sources cannot be reconciled directly. We are aware of the inconsistent basis between the two sets of figures and established a task force to consider these issues. The task force report was issued for consultation on 18 December 2001. The report of the task force proposes a comprehensive revision to the current requirements on police personnel statistics. Following consultation with the police service we will implement the necessary changes from September 2002.

Police Firearms

Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent statistics are for the police use of firearms. [72974]

Mr. Denham: The statistics for April 2000 to March 2001 show that the number of police operations in which firearms were issued was 11,109. The number of occasions on which firearms were discharged by police increased to nine.

There was a small decrease in the number of operations in which armed response vehicles were deployed.

Full details are set out in the tables:

Number of operations in which firearms were authorised

1997–981998–991999–20002000–01
Avon and Somerset139889065
Bedfordshire323260190294
Cambridgeshire96437571
Cheshire21629386545
Cleveland103357628
City of London3071471253
Cumbria68522430
Derbyshire147176178167
Devon and Cornwall1336165151
Dorset546979174
Durham10311411440
Essex505590497435
Gloucestershire51525248
Greater Manchester165160224357
Hampshire217129103114
Hertfordshire82757386
Humberside472317193158
Kent423928583
Lancashire338616267242
Leicestershire89109222217
Lincolnshire5257155336
Merseyside675484489825
Metropolitan2,5782,7422,8621,862
Norfolk128185239226
Northamptonshire77515758
Northumbria823683465708
North Yorkshire102696172
Nottinghamshire306266255233
South Yorkshire302135237127
Staffordshire240209174203
Suffolk193174165176
Surrey8760143221
Sussex330123185353
Thames Valley227158110153
Warwickshire152291194233
West Mercia13213011036
West Midlands227305362485
West Yorkshire630662813822
Wiltshire26241966
Dyfed Powys27383718
Gwent86643930
North Wales310386371195
South Wales101148255363
Total11,84210,92810,91511,109

23 Jul 2002 : Column 1048W

Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs)

1997–981998–991999–20002000–01
Avon and Somerset161153150135
Bedfordshire42504645
Cambridgeshire80807773
Cheshire82707574
Cleveland84788075
City of London81557374
Cumbria122989894
Derbyshire100877781
Devon and Cornwall14782119100
Dorset72726667
Durham14496101101
Essex217235228195
Gloucestershire84797772
Greater Manchester182217218240
Hampshire112110111100
Hertfordshire41435244
Humberside10210297102
Kent150130136136
Lancashire125132143132
Leicestershire94909085
Lincolnshire85757880
Merseyside16512196103
Metropolitan1,9711,9511,9771,940
Norfolk102109110114
Northamptonshire92927577
Northumbria126123114109
North Yorkshire95835966
Nottinghamshire129120116137
South Yorkshire1089010098
Staffordshire86928167
Suffolk961019890
Surrey61697172
Sussex146156131118
Thames Valley194179187185
Warwickshire38445445
West Mercia159139129130
West Midlands95929383
West Yorkshire114128110117
Wiltshire105888971
Dyfed Powys71676561
Gwent59646866
North Wales90979267
South Wales176169155143
Total6,5856,3086,2626,064


23 Jul 2002 : Column 1049W

Number of operations involving armed response vehicles (ARVs)

1997–981998–991999–20002000–01
Avon and Somerset121837856
Bedfordshire285240172253
Cambridgeshire19275436
Cheshire166247330441
Cleveland(36)57292516
City of London34322430
Cumbria43382127
Derbyshire99153167152
Devon and Cornwall584352121
Dorset506669155
Durham85846731
Essex180285244206
Gloucestershire48494439
Greater Manchester5643173302
Hampshire1701149084
Hertfordshire25264465
Humberside437277181136
Kent212745864
Lancashire321596250177
Leicestershire68109144195
Lincolnshire3442141324
Merseyside55939646675
Metropolitan9541,5731,8121,380
Norfolk117167210192
Northamptonshire29322135
Northumbria515503397655
North Yorkshire52304054
Nottinghamshire(36)256246232207
South Yorkshire252115214103
Staffordshire206185131136
Suffolk135104101103
Surrey7646110192
Sussex284(36)0172245
Thames Valley184139108108
Warwickshire127220158194
West Mercia98999826
West Midlands102129138243
West Yorkshire586630787785
Wiltshire21171548
Dyfed Powys19303718
Gwent47392717
North Wales260298354155
South Wales97136220298
Total7,5447,7918,2768,179

(36) These forces have changed the counting method for incidents to which ARVs are deployed.


23 Jul 2002 : Column 1050W

Police Vacancies

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which 10 police authorities have (a) the highest and (b) the lowest number of vacancies for police officers; and how many officers were involved in each case. [36912]

Mr. Denham: The information requested is not collected centrally.


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