Previous Section Index Home Page

25 Jun 2007 : Column 315W—continued


Police: Cameras

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he expects the police head camera pilot project to be completed; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the pilot in reducing levels of violent crime; [143244]

(2) which police authorities are using head camera technology. [143245]

Mr. McNulty: The Plymouth Body Worn Video Devices Pilot project ended on 31 March 2007.


25 Jun 2007 : Column 316W

The final assessment report into the effectiveness of the cameras during the pilot in reducing crime, increasing numbers of offenders brought to justice and reducing police bureaucracy will be published, together with the associated guidance for the Police use of Body Worn Video Devices, at a launch event on 12 July 2007 in Plymouth.

42 police forces across the UK have expressed an interest in this head camera project. The Home Office does not hold statistics on how many forces have implemented the technology to date.

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007, Official Report, column 1240W, on police: disciplinary proceedings, what steps he is taking to address the level of suspensions of (a) full-time police officers and (b) police community support officers; and if he will make a statement. [144784]

Mr. McNulty: The new police officer misconduct procedures that are currently being developed will modernise the police officer disciplinary process and should lead to a speedier resolution of misconduct matters and thereby reduce the time that police officers are required to be suspended. The new procedures do not however apply to PCSO’s, who are subject to their employment contract and decisions to suspend are for the forces concerned.

Police: Helicopters

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to police authorities on the procurement of police helicopters; and if he will make a statement. [145437]

Mr. McNulty: The current procurement basis for Police aircraft (helicopters and aeroplanes) is the extant 1993 National Air Support Strategy. This document established Home Office capital funding (originally on a 49 per cent. (half grant and half credit approval)/51 per cent. basis) to encourage the rapid growth of Air Support Units. It also encouraged forces to operate in consortia, to share costs, and set funding priorities for new aircraft, equipment and infrastructure.

In 2004 the funding arrangements were revised to provide up to a 40 per cent. (all grant) contribution to capital projects from a total allocation of £5 million.

Police: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crime scene investigators are in post in each police force in West Lancashire; and what percentage of those are civilian. [144957]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally in the police personnel statistics. The available information is the number of police officers and police staff who are primarily involved in the function “Scenes of Crime”.

The available data are for the Lancashire police force, and are given in the following table.


25 Jun 2007 : Column 317W
Scenes of crime function( 1,2) (FTE)( 3) in Lancashire police force as at 31 March 2006
Number/percentage

Total number of officers/staff

74

Percentage of civilian staff in total number

93

(1) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables.
(2) Overall force totals including those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. The data in the function breakdown is from unpublished sources and therefore totals may not match totals found in the published data.
(3) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables.

25 Jun 2007 : Column 318W

Police: Manpower

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in each police force in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years. [142957]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.


25 Jun 2007 : Column 319W

25 Jun 2007 : Column 320W
Police officer strength( 1) (FTE)( 2) by police force as at 31 March 1996 to 31 March 2006
Police force 1996 1997( 3) 1998 1999 2000 2001( 4) 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Avon and Somerset

2,981

2,989

2,976

2,999

2,934

2,994

3,096

3,149

3,401

3,384

3,389

Bedfordshire

1,128

1,094

1,079

1,041

1,028

1,036

1,069

1,106

1,181

1,215

1,198

Cambridgeshire

1,238

1,302

1,291

1,274

1,237

1,296

1,362

1,384

1,400

1,402

1,430

Cheshire

1,998

2,046

2,042

2,071

2,011

2,002

2,059

2,119

2,177

2,186

2,174

Cleveland

1,420

1,459

1,483

1,416

1,404

1,407

1,461

1,582

1,687

1,676

1,677

Cumbria

1,115

1,144

1,164

1,126

1,084

1,048

1,100

1,140

1,222

1,232

1,230

Derbyshire

1,763

1,791

1,772

1,759

1,777

1,823

1,848

2,003

2,070

2,070

2,046

Devon and Cornwall

2,899

2,865

2,962

2,887

2,841

2,934

3,053

3,202

3,283

3,369

3,493

Dorset

1,263

1,284

1,310

1,279

1,306

1,354

1,381

1,416

1,433

1,450

1,485

Durham

1,401

1,461

1,515

1,568

1,558

1,595

1,614

1,651

1,685

1,718

1,699

Essex

2,884

2,961

2,928

2,891

2,806

2,897

2,946

2,989

3,098

3,190

3,279

Gloucestershire

1,133

1,133

1,104

1,104

1,114

1,173

1,183

1,227

1,284

1,291

1,289

Greater Manchester

6,938

6,922

6,949

6,810

6,795

6,909

7,217

7,343

8,042

8,041

7,959

Hampshire

3,347

3,452

3,490

3,473

3,419

3,438

3,480

3,668

3,706

3,725

3,707

Hertfordshire

1,712

1,759

1,740

1,724

1,767

1,922

1,825

1,957

2,086

2,104

2,126

Humberside

2,041

2,045

2,021

1,974

1,932

1,917

2,058

2,105

2,213

2,230

2,224

Kent

3,120

3,260

3,251

3,201

3,204

3,319

3,355

3,487

3,576

3,586

3,599

Lancashire

3,171

3,248

3,257

3,245

3,179

3,255

3,304

3,339

3,550

3,551

3,583

Leicestershire

1,908

1,949

1,983

1,993

1,993

2,032

2,100

2,114

2,277

2,283

2,250

Lincolnshire

1,145

1,196

1,191

1,140

1,115

1,202

1,198

1,221

1,228

1,221

1,213

London, City of

869

859

825

778

732

703

764

808

853

876

869

Merseyside

4,411

4,230

4,216

4,211

4,085

4,081

4,125

4,099

4,122

4,317

4,269

Metropolitan police

27,343

26,677

26,094

26,073

25,485

24,878

26,223

27,984

29,735

30,710

30,536

Norfolk

1,401

1,432

1,430

1,381

1,381

1,420

1,468

1,499

1,510

1,544

1,557

Northamptonshire

1,153

1,177

1,169

1,137

1,117

1,157

1,214

1,210

1,239

1,267

1,317

Northumbria

3,668

3,677

3,769

3,840

3,788

3,857

3,929

3,943

4,040

4,048

3,983

North Yorkshire

1,324

1,338

1,367

1,337

1,283

1,305

1,417

1,444

1,529

1,543

1,636

Nottinghamshire

2,318

2,323

2,323

2,225

2,204

2,275

2,330

2,411

2,484

2,502

2,477

South Yorkshire

3,073

3,159

3,182

3,168

3,163

3,197

3,199

3,183

3,279

3,265

3,255

Staffordshire

2,209

2,211

2,292

2,238

2,170

2,129

2,133

2,202

2,266

2,280

2,272

Suffolk

1,138

1,174

1,186

1,190

1,145

1,133

1,203

1,253

1,304

1,313

1,300

Surrey

1,644

1,620

1,608

1,662

1,785

2,066

1,992

1,906

1,913

1,915

1,922

Sussex

3,074

3,085

2,996

2,847

2,822

2,855

2,893

2,989

3,039

3,044

3,092

Thames Valley

3,674

3,695

3,776

3,748

3,740

3,703

3,762

3,833

4,034

4,114

4,229

Warwickshire

979

926

924

908

900

926

969

997

1,008

1,011

1,032

West Mercia

2,017

2,040

2,010

2,025

1,887

1,951

2,018

2,256

2,355

2,367

2,351

West Midlands

7,145

7,113

7,156

7,321

7,194

7,423

7,681

7,751

7,887

8,056

8,097

West Yorkshire

5,142

5,209

5,155

4,982

4,822

4,815

4,889

5,029

5,275

5,631

5,644

Wiltshire

1,219

1,154

1,156

1,151

1,118

1,120

1,157

1,158

1,217

1,222

1,219

Dyfed-Powys

991

1,005

1,002

1,026

1,040

1,055

1,132

1,149

1,160

1,174

1,182

Gwent

1,044

1,243

1,233

1,247

1,264

1,274

1,333

1,341

1,372

1,438

1,467

North Wales

1,378

1,369

1,396

1,391

1,403

1,444

1,506

1,539

1,603

1,652

1,617

South Wales

3,027

2,976

2,986

2,981

2,926

3,154

3,222

3,239

3,279

3,281

3,263

Total England and Wales

124,844

125,051

124,756

123,841

121,956

123,476

127,267

131,426

137,105

139,495

139,633

(1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Full-time equivalent excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (3) Boundary changes on 1 April 1996 transferred resources for the policing of the Rhmney Valley from South Wales police to Gwent police. (4) Boundary changes on 1 April 2000 transferred some resources from the Metropolitan police to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey police forces.

Next Section Index Home Page