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7 Jun 2005 : Column 520W—continued

Police Precepts

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total revenue raised from police precepts was in each police authority in England and Wales for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06. [372]

Hazel Blears: The information is set out in the following table.

£ million
	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Avon and Somerset	25.6	27.2	30.6	34.4	37.4
Bedfordshire	9.5	10.2	11.3	12.5	13.3
Cambridgeshire	11.7	11.2	12.3	14.9	16.5
Cheshire	17.1	18.3	19.4	21.2	22.6
Cleveland	8.6	7.6	9.9	10.4	11.2
Cumbria	9.2	11.6	12.6	13.7	14.9
Derbyshire	15.1	17.0	19.8	21.6	23.2
Devon and Cornwall	26.3	25.8	28.9	32.2	34.2
Dorset	16.6	18.6	20.7	22.7	24.9
Durham	8.9	8.3	8.7	9.1	9.9
Dyfed-Powys	8.2	10.2	12.6	14.9	16.1
Essex	29.3	34.1	36.1	40.2	42.5
Gloucestershire	10.0	11.4	13.8	15.8	16.8
Greater Manchester	40.2	42.0	45.0	47.1	48.9
Gwent	8.7	9.7	10.7	13.7	15.4
Hampshire	31.8	31.1	33.6	34.7	37.5
Hertfordshire	17.6	20.2	22.0	28.1	30.2
Humberside	13.4	13.6	14.3	15.9	22.7
Kent	28.7	27.2	29.8	31.9	34.8
Lancashire	22.9	23.1	25.2	27.6	30.2
Leicestershire	14.5	17.1	18.1	19.4	21.8
Lincolnshire	13.4	15.5	16.3	17.5	18.7
Merseyside	27.0	29.1	31.4	33.2	35.3
Metropolitan	181.8	222.3	241.3	248.2	324.6
Norfolk	13.0	14.0	17.0	19.3	22.6
Northamptonshire	13.4	13.4	15.1	16.0	17.0
Northumbria	21.3	19.4	20.3	21.2	22.9
North Wales	11.2	13.6	15.7	18.8	20.0
North Yorkshire	13.0	12.8	14.0	15.4	17.2
Nottinghamshire	14.9	16.4	18.7	20.0	21.7
South Wales	19.5	22.4	26.2	32.5	34.8
South Yorkshire	18.9	19.3	20.2	21.2	22.6
Staffordshire	17.7	23.6	25.8	27.5	31.5
Suffolk	11.3	11.7	12.6	13.9	15.5
Surrey	15.0	22.5	25.7	36.9	38.9
Sussex	29.1	29.0	30.6	32.2	34.6
Thames Valley	40.6	39.5	44.5	47.9	51.7
Warwickshire	9.2	11.0	12.8	14.0	15.7
West Mercia	19.7	21.0	23.4	29.8	32.0
West Midlands	39.6	36.6	38.4	41.3	43.3
West Yorkshire	31.8	31.8	33.5	36.2	37.9
Wiltshire	11.8	13.6	15.1	16.8	18.7

 
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£ million
	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06
Avon and Somerset	43.4	58.6	66.3	70.3
Bedfordshire	15.0	18.0	20.9	22.1
Cambridgeshire	23.1	28.0	32.6	34.6
Cheshire	25.9	31.3	35.0	37.0
Cleveland	15.5	19.5	22.4	23.8
Cumbria	16.6	21.8	25.7	26.8
Derbyshire	28.5	34.9	38.7	40.9
Devon and Cornwall	41.2	58.2	65.8	70.1
Dorset	28.1	33.8	37.9	40.5
Durham	11.4	14.1	16.4	17.4
Dyfed-Powys	17.5	22.4	26.1	28.0
Essex	46.8	56.5	60.8	64.8
Gloucestershire	19.4	29.6	33.0	34.6
Greater Manchester	52.2	69.8	75.5	81.1
Gwent	17.7	22.4	26.4	28.5
Hampshire	48.2	62.8	70.9	75.0
Hertfordshire	33.9	41.4	47.7	50.3
Humberside	25.5	30.7	35.9	37.8
Kent	42.8	55.9	63.0	67.0
Lancashire	33.1	39.6	45.9	49.4I
Leicestershire	27.9	31.0	35.9	38.2
Lincolnshire	19.9	22.3	24.3	26.2
Merseyside	39.3	42.3	46.2	48.9
Metropolitan	361.4	443.7	521.3	560.5
Norfolk	27.4	33.7	39.0	41.3
Northamptonshire	22.0	27.7	32.2	33.7
Northumbria	24.1	26.6	28.1	29.6
North Wales	23.6	31.3	38.0	42.4
North Yorkshire	24.6	43.6	49.0	50.6
Nottinghamshire	26.5	34.4	38.	40.4
South Wales	36.7	42.7	48.4	52.9
South Yorkshire	26.9	34.4	38.	40.0
Staffordshire	34.0	43.1	47.	50.3
Suffolk	19.1	25.7	28.	30.2
Surrey	45.4	63.8	69.	73.8
Sussex	41.1	57.9	63.	67.1
Thames Valley	59.2	86.1	98.	104.2
Warwickshire	19.0	22.1	24.	25.5
West Mercia	43.0	49.7	57.	60.7
West Midlands	47.2	54.5	61.	64.6
West Yorkshire	47.8	56.1	64.	69.0
Wiltshire	20.7	25.2	27.	29.6

Source:
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the National Assembly for Wales.





 
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Police/Crime Statistics

Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase police numbers in Hertfordshire; and if he will make a statement. [838]

Hazel Blears [holding answer 25 May 2005]: The number of police officers in Hertfordshire Constabulary stood at 2,135 on 30 September 2004. This is a record figure and represents a steady increase since March 2002. Since 2000 we have provided money for additional recruits under the Crime Fighting Fund, which in Hertfordshire's case stands at 113 officers. Any further increases are a matter for the Chief Constable and the police authority. In addition, Hertfordshire Constabulary had 99 community support officers at the end of March, an increase of 53 on 12 months earlier.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there are in Wales. [1068]

Hazel Blears: On the 30 September 2004, there were 7,501 full-time equivalent police officers in Wales.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firearms offences were recorded by the police in Wales in 2004. [1079]

Hazel Blears: There were 265 firearms offences recorded in Wales in 2004.

Police Support Staff

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost of employing a (a) community warden or neighbourhood warden, (b) police community support officer and (c) police constable in England is expected to be in 2005–06. [1099]

Hazel Blears: Records of the average cost to local police forces of employing neighbourhood wardens, community support officers (CSOs) and police constables are not kept centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, information available to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister indicates that neighbourhood warden salaries in 2003 ranged, on average, between about £13,900 and £15,600. The interim report of the National Evaluation of Community Support Officers published in December 2004 (available at www.policereform.gov.uk) found that, of the forces surveyed, the minimum pay point, excluding allowances, for CSOs ranged nationally from £14,094 to £19,626 and the maximum ranged from £15,408 to £25,356. The pay scales for police constables range from £19,803 for a newly recruited officer, rising to £31,092 for a constable with 11 years service. Additional allowances may be payable such as a
 
7 Jun 2005 : Column 524W
 
competence-related threshold payment, London weighting, London allowance, special priority payments.

Postal Votes

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what police investigations are ongoing into allegations of electoral fraud involving postal votes; and what the outcome has been of each completed police investigation into allegations of electoral fraud involving postal votes since 1997. [410]

Hazel Blears: One case of alleged electoral fraud involving postal votes is under investigation. Five other allegations have been investigated and are not being further pursued. No other information is held centrally.

Probation Reports

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances the Probation Service is asked to issue a report on a person convicted of an offence before that person is sentenced. [1220]

Hazel Blears: It is for the court to request a Pre-Sentence Report from the Probation Service on a person convicted of an offence before sentence. The Probation Service is statutorily obliged to provide a Pre-Sentence Report when the court requests one.

Stop and Search

Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has conducted research into the impact on the use of police time of the requirement to make a record of all stop and searches. [1370]

Hazel Blears: We published, The views of the public on the phased implementation of recording police stops" (Home Office Development and Practice report—22) and, An evaluation of the phased implementation of the recording of police stops" (Home Office Development and Practice report—23), in July 2004. Both reports comment on officers' recording practices, including the time officers spent on recording 'stops' and searches.

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