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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 officers | Percentage of all police officers | Civilian support staff and traffic wardens | Percentage of all civilian support staff etc. | All staff | Percentage of all staff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daily number of working days lost to sickness absence | 710.5 | 2.7 | 328.4 | 2.9 | 1038.9 | 2.7 |
| Number of staff who took self-certificated sick leave | 1,827 | 6.9 | 128.5 | 11.5 | 3,112 | 8.2 |
| Number of staff on sick leave for less than seven days | 1,872 | 7.0 | 1,488 | 13.3 | 3,360 | 8.9 |
| Number of employees on sick leave for seven or more days | 974 | 3.7 | 429 | 3.8 | 1,403 | 3.7 |
| Number of employees on sick leave as a result of injury on duty | 273 | 1.0 | 22 | 0.2 | 295 | 0.8 |
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]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the extent in the last five years to which police forces have trained police officers and then have lost them by transfer to neighbouring police forces, with particular reference to the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement on measures to prevent this happening. [39482]
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.
23 Jul 2002 : Column 1052W
| Transfers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Force | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 |
| Avon and Somerset | 6 | 5 | 16 | 25 |
| Bedfordshire | 7 | 1 | 5 | 21 |
| Cambridgeshire | 9 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Cheshire | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| City of London | 19 | 13 | 13 | 18 |
| Cleveland | 6 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| Cumbria | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Derbyshire | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 |
| Devon and Cornwall | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Dorset | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Durham | 8 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Dyfed-Powys | 10 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| Essex | 10 | 6 | 10 | 25 |
| Gloucestershire | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Greater Manchester | 26 | 13 | 15 | 28 |
| Gwent | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Hampshire | 13 | 12 | 20 | 24 |
| Hertfordshire | 16 | 23 | 23 | 43 |
| Humberside | 8 | 5 | 5 | 18 |
| Kent | 17 | 11 | 12 | 26 |
| Lancashire | 4 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Leicestershire | 9 | 6 | 13 | 27 |
| Lincolnshire | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Merseyside | 17 | 16 | 10 | 14 |
| Metropolitan police | 240 | 234 | 244 | 382 |
| Norfolk | 5 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| North Wales | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| North Yorkshire | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Northamptonshire | 14 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| Northumbria | 13 | 7 | 9 | 5 |
| Nottinghamshire | 11 | 13 | 10 | 6 |
| South Wales | 1 | 6 | 11 | 3 |
| South Yorkshire | 12 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Staffordshire | 13 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| Suffolk | 1 | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| Surrey | 32 | 11 | 18 | 171 |
| Sussex | 14 | 13 | 21 | 31 |
| Thames Valley | 28 | 10 | 26 | 80 |
| Warwickshire | 6 | 7 | 2 | 8 |
| West Mercia | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| West Midlands | 43 | 47 | 42 | 59 |
| West Yorkshire | 14 | 11 | 15 | 19 |
| Wiltshire | 9 | 1 | 7 | 12 |
| Total | 691 | 560 | 642 | 1,189 |
23 Jul 2002 : Column 1053W
| Percentage of loss | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Force | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 |
| Avon and Somerset | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Bedfordshire | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.0 |
| Cambridgeshire | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Cheshire | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| City of London | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.5 |
| Cleveland | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Cumbria | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Derbyshire | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Devon and Cornwall | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Dorset | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Durham | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Dyfed-Powys | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Essex | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Gloucestershire | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Greater Manchester | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Gwent | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Hampshire | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Hertfordshire | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.4 |
| Humberside | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Kent | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Lancashire | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Leicestershire | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| Lincolnshire | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Merseyside | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Metropolitan police | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| Norfolk | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| North Wales | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| North Yorkshire | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Northamptonshire | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.9 |
| Northumbria | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Nottinghamshire | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| South Wales | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| South Yorkshire | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Staffordshire | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Suffolk | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Surrey | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 9.6 |
| Sussex | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Thames Valley | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.1 |
| Warwickshire | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.9 |
| West Mercia | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| West Midlands | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| West Yorkshire | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Wiltshire | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| Total | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
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