Previous Section Index Home Page


HM Inspectorate of Constabulary

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when and by what means the latest vacant position within Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary was advertised; how many applications there were for the post; what short-listing process was used; how many candidates were called to an interview; and if the guidelines for public appointments apply in appointments to HMIC. [53771]

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1488W

Mr. John Denham: The Director General of the Policing and Crime Reduction Group (PCRG) wrote on 10 October 2001 to all chief constables and equivalent office holders in the United Kingdom inviting expressions of interest in two forthcoming vacancies for Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary posts. Four applications were received. A selection panel comprising the Director General of PCRG, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and an independent member considered the applications and decided to invite all the applicants to interview.

Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary are appointed by Her Majesty on the recommendation of the Home Secretary under section 54(1) of the Police Act 1996. They do not come within the jurisdiction of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Police Numbers

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were per 1,000 population in the London area in (a) March1997 and (b) September 2001.

Mr. John Denham [holding answer 15 Junary 2002]: The figures set out in the table are form the two forces that police Greater London, the Metropolitan Police Service and City of London Police.

YearCombined strength of Metropolitan Police and City of London Police Police officers per 1,000 of population
31 March 199727,5363.61
30 September 200126,0733.53(97)
31 January 2002(98)26,6183.61(97)

(97) Boundary changes on 1 April 2000 with Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey forces reduced the population of London by around 540,000.

(98) These figures have not yet been validated and published by the Home Office.


Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) police civilian staff are employed by the Metropolitan Police. [54199]

Mr. John Denham: I am told by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (Sir John Stevens QPM) that on 31 January the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) had 25,878 full-time equivalent police officers which is 1,000 more than in March 2001. This is the largest increase in a single financial year in the Metropolitan Police for more than 20 years. In addition there were 10,240 civilian support staff, 93 more than in March 2001.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the ratio of police officers to notifiable offences in each English police force for each of the last 20 years; and if he will make a statement. [56228]

Mr. John Denham [holding answer 21 May 2002]: The requested details are given in the tables. There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which increased the total number of crimes counted in each police force area.

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1489W

The number of crimes recorded by the police per Police Officer

1982198319841985198619871988198919901991
Avon and Somerset23232527323433334150
Bedfordshire33333536404140405152
Cambridgeshire28272729293029313748
Cheshire22232425262827263035
Cleveland31313435404140415052
Cumbria20212325272624252938
Derbyshire27272827272624273443
Devon and Cornwall22222325262726273238
Dorset26272830313229323840
Durham28283334343433344048
Essex*24252526282826283438
Gloucestershire21212225263029303648
Greater Manchester35364043474742424854
Hampshire27272930323230313845
Hertfordshire*26242626272725252833
Humberside32313339424544465259
Kent23232526262727283546
Lancashire24242526293031283438
Leicestershire25252628283029314149
Lincolnshire21222327283028303337
London, City of889910108999
Merseyside31313434373631293032
Metropolitan Police*27252727292726272933
Norfolk28282730323232334046
Northamptonshire31313335373835364351
Northumbria41414549495146525864
North Yorkshire22212327262825263437
Nottinghamshire40384042434443465764
South Yorkshire27283230323331323742
Staffordshire22232425272727273339
Suffolk21222324272725273233
Surrey*18181919202020212630
Sussex21212324242423263238
Thames Valley30303233363431344050
Warwickshire22222424252624263440
West Mercia25252626272726273237
West Midlands33333637414036343944
West Yorkshire31303334343634364556
Wiltshire24242627272624253034

* These forces were affected by the boundary changes which took place in April 2000

The number of crimes recorded by the police per Police Officer

1992199319941995199619971997–981998–991999–002000–01
Avon and Somerset57575551534849505050
Bedfordshire54504645464342475248
Cambridgeshire53524954564646535650
Cheshire42423938333030313232
Cleveland57535755554443474646
Cumbria38373635363131363531
Derbyshire52504746454142484845
Devon and Cornwall40423836363331383935
Dorset41404342393433414037
Durham48494743373331323128
Essex*40393634353031333737
Gloucestershire52535248474242444643
Greater Manchester56524947474445535553
Hampshire48454341413635374039
Hertfordshire*35333333322828293033
Humberside64696763625961666358
Kent52514950473837403939
Lancashire41424039393736363436
Leicestershire53555451494241474743
Lincolnshire41444040413635414137
London, City of876666691112
Merseyside32302933333030333635
Metropolitan Police*33333130313030364140
Norfolk47453937393737414340
Northamptonshire51504949504646585549
Northumbria65605754463836393835
North Yorkshire39424749433837414240
Nottinghamshire71686665625554616261
South Yorkshire46525251494140424239
Staffordshire45454241424139414649
Suffolk37353332333030343839
Surrey*31312826262424262631
Sussex40373638383637464848
Thames Valley52524846474341475151
Warwickshire45454138403939424340
West Mercia39404139413837404540
West Midlands47474545443939435149
West Yorkshire60605756524747555454
Wiltshire35333029292928333433

*These forces were affected by the boundary changes which took place in April 2000

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1491W

The figures in the table are calculated using the total of recorded crimes for the year in question (calendar up to 1997, and years ending March thereafter) and full-time equivalent numbers of police officers as at 31 March in that year (for years ending March, this is at the end of the year in question).


Next Section Index Home Page