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22 Jan 2008 : Column 1878W—continued

Police: Firearms

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many operations firearms were issued to police officers in England and Wales in each year since 1997; in how many of these operation shots were fired by police officers; and how many police officers were qualified to carry firearms in each of the last nine years. [176307]

Mr. McNulty: The number of police operations in which firearms were authorised to be used in each force area in the last 10 years, and the number of authorised firearms officers in those forces, are shown in the following tables. The number of incidents where a conventional firearm was used is also shown.

22 Jan 2008 : Column 1879W

22 Jan 2008 : Column 1880W

Number of operations in which firearms were authorised
	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999- 20 00	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06
Total	12,379	11,842	10,928	10,915	11,109	13,991	14,827	16,657	15,981	18,891
Avon and Somerset	312	139	88	90	65	195	262	311	333	247
Bedfordshire	345	323	260	190	294	237	301	442	475	575
Cambridgeshire	54	96	43	75	71	114	57	104	241	201
Cheshire	288	216	299	386	545	419	451	397	358	367
Cleveland	1,026	103	35	76	28	37	170	453	530	657
City of London	308	307	147	125	3	40	131	364	404	323
Cumbria	72	68	52	24	30	71	77	72	152	112
Derbyshire	109	147	176	178	167	275	401	369	287	305
Devon and Cornwall	160	133	61	65	151	101	96	112	71	84
Dorset	36	54	69	79	174	184	193	231	223	263
Durham	131	103	114	114	40	89	83	156	144	291
Essex	331	505	590	497	435	323	312	275	296	432
Gloucestershire	41	51	52	52	48	165	185	127	176	229
Gtr Manchester	214	165	160	224	357	580	518	507	461	478
Hampshire	245	217	129	103	114	198	162	208	237	289
Hertfordshire	96	82	75	73	86	112	172	195	185	187
Humberside	291	472	317	193	158	297	187	183	206	362
Kent	236	423	92	85	83	115	137	207	163	219
Lancashire	333	338	616	267	242	232	238	318	241	240
Leicestershire	155	89	109	222	217	300	268	295	260	363
Lincolnshire	58	52	57	155	336	477	392	386	294	220
Merseyside	671	675	484	489	825	1,020	628	751	733	669
Metropolitan	2,439	2,578	2,742	2,862	1,862	2,447	3,199	3,563	2,964	4,711
Norfolk	166	128	185	239	226	175	200	178	195	175
Northamptonshire	64	77	51	57	58	43	138	148	158	137
Northumbria	1,360	823	683	465	708	1,440	1,275	1,140	977	611
North Yorkshire	65	102	69	612	72	92	100	147	185	183
Nottinghamshire	84	306	266	255	233	384	452	459	408	394
South Yorkshire	155	302	135	237	127	258	463	484	546	749
Staffordshire	257	240	209	174	203	232	281	255	216	171
Suffolk	180	193	174	165	176	163	270	251	153	202
Surrey	133	87	60	143	221	245	247	203	151	222
Sussex	235	330	123	185	353	248	204	280	187	190
Thames Valley	215	227	158	110	153	179	167	195	289	427
Warwickshire	97	152	291	194	233	130	149	164	124	180
West Mercia	106	132	130	110	36	117	91	197	162	122
West Midlands	270	227	305	362	485	822	902	1,377	1,264	1,044
West Yorkshire	617	630	662	813	822	757	604	575	853	1,335
Wiltshire	26	26	24	19	66	45	58	63	88	139
Dyfed Powys	17	27	38	37	18	28	29	28	51	63
Gwent	89	86	64	39	30	20	37	40	81	94
North Wales	233	310	386	371	195	302	259	197	223	350
South Wales	59	101	148	255	363	283	281	250	236	279

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