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Metropolitan Police

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many, and what proportion, of employees of the Metropolitan Police were off sick on average on each day in the last month for which figures are available; how many and what proportion of those (a) were absent on self-certification or without authorisation, (b) were on sick leave of less than a week, (c) were on sick leave of more than one week and less than one month, (d) were on sick leave of more than one month and (e) were on leave as a result of injuries sustained while on duty. [41102]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 18 March 2002]: I understand from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police that the available figures for April 2002 are as follows:

Police officersPercentage of all police officersCivilian support staff and traffic wardensPercentage of all civilian support staff etc. All staffPercentage of all staff
Average daily number of working days lost to sickness absence710.52.7328.42.91038.92.7
Number of staff who took self-certificated sick leave1,8276.9128.511.53,1128.2
Number of staff on sick leave for less than seven days1,8727.01,48813.33,3608.9
Number of employees on sick leave for seven or more days9743.74293.81,4033.7
Number of employees on sick leave as a result of injury on duty2731.0220.22950.8

Police Officers

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of police officers accepted into the Metropolitan Police in each year from 1997 have minor criminal records. [30452]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 29 January 2002]: I am informed by the Commissioner that no central record of this information is held by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

The MPS follow the Home Office National Recruitment Standards on criminal convictions, agreed with the Police Service and issued in October 2001.

Applicants who have been convicted or cautioned may still be eligible for appointment, depending on the nature and circumstances of their offence.

Minor offences which would not lead to automatic rejection of an application include, for example failing to have a current television licence or MoT certificate.

West Midlands Police

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the prospects of West Midlands police receiving regional allowance; [39491]

23 Jul 2002 : Column 1051W

Mr. Denham: Figures for the number of officers leaving police forces on transfer are collected annually by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). In 2000–01, the latest full year for which figures are available, the total number of officers leaving forces in England and Wales on transfer was 1,189 or one per cent. of the police strength.

The figures collected by HMIC do not distinguish between officers who transfer soon after completion of initial training and those who transfer later in their career. Nor do the figures identify how many of the officers transferring have transferred between forces on previous occasions.

In the case of West Midlands police, that between April 2000 and March 2001, 59 officers left the force on transfer. This represented 0.8 per cent. in fall of force strength at the start of the year, a little below the overall rate from England and Wales.

The number of officers transferring between forces remains small. It is healthy for there to be an interchange of experience between police forces and I do not intend to prevent transfers.

Of course, the number of transfers from a force may present a problem if those transferring leave predominantly from particular areas or specialisms, or if the number leaving is not offset by transfers in. We are presently conducting research into the reasons why officers resign from the police service or choose to transfer from one force to another. The findings of this research will help forces decide on which measures to implement in order to encourage officers to stay in the service, or in a particular force.

It is for the Home Secretary to determine police pay and allowances. In doing so, he is required to take into account any recommendation by the Police Negotiating Board (PNB). It would, therefore, be for PNB to consider in the first instance the case for a regional allowance for officers in the West Midlands. In 2001, the PNB failed to reach agreement on a Staff Side claim for a regional allowance for all police forces. The matter was then referred to the Police Arbitration Tribunal (PAT). The PAT rejected the Staff Side claim and decided that there was no evidence of a significant nationwide recruitment problem for the police service.

Strength as at 31 March
Force1997199819992000
Avon and Somerset2,9892,9762,9992,934
Bedfordshire1,0941,0791,0411,028
Cambridgeshire1,3021,2911,2741,237
Cheshire2,0462,0422,0712,011
City of London859825778732
Cleveland1,4591,4831,4161,404
Cumbria1,1441,1641,1261,084
Derbyshire1,7911,7721,7591,777
Devon and Cornwall2,8652,9622,8872,841
Dorset1,2841,3101,2791,306
Durham1,4611,5151,5681,558
Dyfed-Powys1,0051,0021,0261,040
Essex2,9612,9282,8912,806
Gloucestershire1,1331,1041,1041,114
Greater Manchester6,9226,9496,8106,795
Gwent1,2431,2331,2471,264
Hampshire3,4523,4903,4733,419
Hertfordshire1,7591,7401,7241,767
Humberside2,0452,0211,9741,932
Kent3,2603,2513,2013,204
Lancashire3,2473,2573,2453,179
Leicestershire1,9491,9831,9931,993
Lincolnshire1,1961,1911,1401,115
Merseyside4,2304,2164,2114,085
Metropolitan police26,67726,09426,07325,485
Norfolk1,4321,4301,3811,381
North Wales1,3691,3961,3911,403
North Yorkshire1,3381,3671,3371,283
Northamptonshire1,1771,1691,1371,117
Northumbria3,6773,7693,8403,788
Nottinghamshire2,3232,3232,2252,204
South Wales2,9762,9862,9812,926
South Yorkshire3,1593,1823,1683,163
Staffordshire2,2112,2922,2382,170
Suffolk1,1801,1861,1901,146
Surrey1,6201,6081,6621,785
Sussex3,0853,0382,8472,822
Thames Valley3,6953,7763,7483,740
Warwickshire926924908900
West Mercia2,0402,0102,0251,887
West Midlands7,1137,1567,3217,195
West Yorkshire5,2095,1554,9824,822
Wiltshire1,1541,1561,1511,118
Total125,051124,756123,841121,956

23 Jul 2002 : Column 1052W

Transfers
Force1997–981998–991999–20002000–01
Avon and Somerset651625
Bedfordshire71521
Cambridgeshire93612
Cheshire8546
City of London19131318
Cleveland6614
Cumbria34610
Derbyshire4065
Devon and Cornwall6887
Dorset2039
Durham8335
Dyfed-Powys10259
Essex1061025
Gloucestershire3136
Greater Manchester26131528
Gwent6335
Hampshire13122024
Hertfordshire16232343
Humberside85518
Kent17111226
Lancashire41077
Leicestershire961327
Lincolnshire7156
Merseyside17161014
Metropolitan police240234244382
Norfolk5526
North Wales0552
North Yorkshire5555
Northamptonshire143210
Northumbria13795
Nottinghamshire1113106
South Wales16113
South Yorkshire121084
Staffordshire13529
Suffolk15511
Surrey321118171
Sussex14132131
Thames Valley28102680
Warwickshire6728
West Mercia6566
West Midlands43474259
West Yorkshire14111519
Wiltshire91712
Total6915606421,189


23 Jul 2002 : Column 1053W

Percentage of loss
Force1997–981998–991999–20002000–01
Avon and Somerset0.20.20.50.9
Bedfordshire0.60.10.52.0
Cambridgeshire0.70.20.51.0
Cheshire0.40.20.20.3
City of London2.21.61.72.5
Cleveland0.40.40.10.3
Cumbria0.30.30.50.9
Derbyshire0.20.00.30.3
Devon and Cornwall0.20.30.30.2
Dorset0.20.00.20.7
Durham0.50.20.20.3
Dyfed-Powys1.00.20.50.9
Essex0.30.20.30.9
Gloucestershire0.30.10.30.5
Greater Manchester0.40.20.20.4
Gwent0.50.20.20.4
Hampshire0.40.30.60.7
Hertfordshire0.91.31.32.4
Humberside0.40.20.30.9
Kent0.50.30.40.8
Lancashire0.10.30.20.2
Leicestershire0.50.30.71.4
Lincolnshire0.60.10.40.5
Merseyside0.40.40.20.3
Metropolitan police0.90.90.91.5
Norfolk0.30.30.10.4
North Wales0.00.40.40.1
North Yorkshire0.40.40.40.4
Northamptonshire1.20.30.20.9
Northumbria0.40.20.20.1
Nottinghamshire0.50.60.40.3
South Wales0.00.20.40.1
South Yorkshire0.40.30.30.1
Staffordshire0.60.20.10.4
Suffolk0.10.40.41.0
Surrey2.00.71.19.6
Sussex0.50.40.71.1
Thames Valley0.80.30.72.1
Warwickshire0.60.80.20.9
West Mercia0.30.20.30.3
West Midlands0.60.70.60.8
West Yorkshire0.30.20.30.4
Wiltshire0.80.10.61.1
Total0.60.40.51.0


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