13 May 2009 : Column 808W continued
Police: Firearms
Sarah Teather:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers of each rank have been authorised to carry a gun in each region in each of the last 10 years. [273469]
Mr. Coaker:
The number of authorised firearms officers in police forces in England and Wales for each year since 1996-97 are shown in the following table.
Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOS)
1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999- 20 00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
Total
6,738
6,585
6,308
6,262
6,064
5,776
5,763
6,096
6,243
6,584
6,728
6,780
Avon and Somerset
165
161
153
150
135
116
84
122
118
117
103
123
Bedfordshire
46
42
50
46
45
48
53
58
56
59
57
53
Cambridgeshire
90
80
80
77
73
56
71
60
60
50
46
49
Cheshire
70
82
70
75
74
81
89
75
76
73
80
72
Cleveland
86
84
78
80
75
85
80
95
100
100
105
97
City of London
88
81
55
73
74
73
72
86
89
86
45
49
Cumbria
108
122
98
98
94
92
87
89
90
89
90
97
Derbyshire
110
100
87
77
81
80
69
70
74
75
69
61
Devon and Cornwall
151
147
82
119
100
108
115
132
123
122
132
142
Dorset
74
72
72
66
67
57
59
60
64
62
67
71
Durham
138
144
96
101
101
86
102
97
103
100
102
89
Essex
228
217
235
228
195
180
184
186
202
205
220
225
Gloucestershire
82
84
79
77
72
71
80
82
93
92
94
95
Greater Manchester
209
182
217
218
240
219
202
205
187
245
217
250
Hampshire
106
112
110
111
100
87
94
94
92
97
83
85
Hertfordshire
42
41
43
52
44
46
47
50
53
52
49
53
Humberside
90
102
102
97
102
96
96
96
101
92
83
87
Kent
150
150
130
136
136
113
93
90
94
94
98
87
Lancashire
132
125
132
143
132
138
129
122
115
123
103
143
13 May 2009 : Column 809W
13 May 2009 : Column 810W
Leicestershire
104
94
90
90
85
69
68
51
53
59
67
64
Lincolnshire
82
85
75
78
80
91
87
78
86
87
75
77
Merseyside
147
165
121
96
103
78
84
94
93
129
139
153
Metropolitan
2,035
1,971
1,951
1,977
1,940
1,805
1,823
2,060
2,134
2,331
2,584
2,530
Norfolk
98
102
109
110
114
104
109
114
125
119
127
114
Northamptonshire
92
92
92
75
77
51
56
52
50
56
59
53
Northumbria
173
126
123
114
109
125
99
90
93
98
92
96
North Yorkshire
108
95
83
59
66
66
64
60
56
78
67
67
Nottinghamshire
128
129
120
116
137
136
131
138
138
149
146
137
South Yorkshire
110
108
90
100
98
92
100
98
122
116
118
106
Staffordshire
78
86
92
81
67
71
63
67
76
70
82
82
Suffolk
82
96
101
98
90
90
80
96
88
84
78
74
Surrey
76
61
69
71
72
62
48
53
49
51
45
54
Sussex
180
146
156
131
118
120
141
134
130
129
129
123
Thames Valley
185
194
179
187
185
156
180
172
176
180
186
180
Warwickshire
41
38
44
54
45
50
51
46
53
55
59
63
West Mercia
155
159
139
129
130
125
131
139
141
152
133
163
West Midlands
88
95
92
93
83
111
110
124
134
145
175
177
West Yorkshire
131
114
128
110
117
116
132
140
130
150
148
147
Wiltshire
134
105
88
89
71
71
78
80
74
72
69
67
Dyfed Powys
70
71
67
65
61
77
62
58
79
68
72
67
Gwent
70
59
64
68
66
57
60
71
74
86
64
63
North Wales
72
90
97
92
67
83
75
73
65
57
56
57
South Wales
134
176
169
155
143
138
125
139
134
130
115
138