Previous Section Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page


Human Rights Act 1998

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn): A great deal of training and preparation will need to be done before Section 3 or the other main provisions of the Act can be brought into force. Until that time, it would be premature to invite the courts to act as if those provisions had been brought into force.

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Williams of Mostyn: We do not at present have any plans to bring the Human Rights Act into force at different times in different parts of the United Kingdom.

The devolved institutions established by the Scotland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 will have no power to act in a way which is incompatible with the convention rights set out in the Human Rights Act. That issue will be justiciable in the courts under the terms of the

15 Dec 1998 : Column WA142

devolution legislation when those institutions begin to operate, even though the Human Rights Act may not have been brought into force.

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Why they are delaying the bringing into force of the Human Rights Act 1998.[HL291]

Lord Williams of Mostyn: As the noble Lord will be aware from the Home Secretary's speech at Third Reading of the Human Rights Bill in another place on 21 October (Official Report, col. 1359), and from his own correspondence with my right honourable friend the Lord Chancellor, we would like to bring the Act into force as soon as is feasible but there is a great deal of training and preparation to be done first.

Police Use of Firearms

Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What are the latest available statistics on the police use of firearms.[HL336]

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The statistics for April 1997 to March 1998 show that the number of police operations in which firearms were issued to officers was 11,842, a fall of over 4 per cent. on the previous year. The number of occasions on which firearms were discharged by police fell to just three, from five the previous year, resulting in two fatalities.

There was a decrease of 7 per cent., to 7,510 in the number of operations in which armed response vehicles were deployed. Firearms were carried in these vehicles but were not necessarily issued to officers on each occasion.

Full details are set out in the tables below:

Number of operations involving Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs)

1994-951995-961996-971997-98
Total2,4235,5238,0607,510
Avon & Somerset90200247121
Bedfordshire0239309285
Cambridgeshire27152319
Cheshire76180240166
Cleveland894651,014*57
City of London023250
Cumbria19446443
Derbyshire58539799
Devon & Cornwall0217758
Dorset25222850
Durham27386285
Essex165155218180
Gloucestershire0101348
Greater Manchester696**56
Hampshire156159208170
Hertfordshire37203525
Humberside635284437
Kent4742208212
Lancashire48187320321
Leicestershire5010112668
Lincolnshire45213934
Merseyside73239618559
MetropolitanN/K1,025790954
Norfolk3680152117
Northamptonshire2132029
Northumbria310325715515
North Yorkshire001352
Nottinghamshire404466*256
South Yorkshire140171129252
Staffordshire370235206
Suffolk113117120135
Surrey25475276
Sussex304413173284
Thames Valley673164184
Warwickshire225491127
West Mercia26397798
West Midlands5898103102
West Yorkshire173587584586
Wiltshire1312321
Dyfed Powys961219
Gwent9395847
North Wales014173260
South Wales8425597

* These forces have amended their arrangements for counting ARV deployment to incidents.

** No figures available.

15 Dec 1998 : Column WA143

Number of operations in which firearms were issued

1994-951995-961996-971997-98
Total6,1418,72612,37911,842
Avon & Somerset156326312139
Bedfordshire36264345323
Cambridgeshire73475496
Cheshire93219288216
Cleveland1074871,026103
City of London325275308307
Cumbria44547268
Derbyshire6872109147
Devon & Cornwall2990160133
Dorset46363654
Durham100111131103
Essex267267331505
Gloucestershire27334151
Greater Manchester110142214165
Hampshire195190245217
Hertfordshire69479682
Humberside4992291472
Kent9582236423
Lancashire57227333338
Leicestershire7813815589
Lincolnshire50255852
Merseyside116280671675
Metropolitan1,8042,1782,4392,578
Norfolk5696166128
Northamptonshire40546477
Northumbria5934521,360823
North Yorkshire255265102
Nottinghamshire475784306
South Yorkshire172225155302
Staffordshire2180257240
Suffolk119150180193
Surrey 607013387
Sussex375445235330
Thames Valley6596215227
Warwickshire255597152
West Mercia5059106132
West Midlands141226270227
West Yorkshire181657617630
Wiltshire26262626
Dyfed Powys16111727
Gwent20478986
North Wales60117233310
South Wales556959101

15 Dec 1998 : Column WA144

Number of Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs)

1994-951995-961996-971997-98
Total6,8376,5546,7386,137
Avon & Somerset156157165161
Bedfordshire67484642
Cambridgeshire87929080
Cheshire122847082
Cleveland55658684
City of London1461208881
Cumbria105100108122
Derbyshire140130110100
Devon & Cornwall116140151147
Dorset76757472
Durham108103138144
Essex209203228217
Gloucestershire71858284
Greater Manchester181186209182
Hampshire110104106112
Hertfordshire48434241
Humberside11010490102
Kent147144150150
Lancashire135138132125
Leicestershire10310510494
Lincolnshire73818285
Merseyside160119147165
Metropolitan2,0131,9152,0351,523
Norfolk1179998102
Northamptonshire83959292
Northumbria166160173126
North Yorkshire14213410895
Nottinghamshire125126128129
South Yorkshire162125110108
Staffordshire84807886
Suffolk65708296
Surrey76797661
Sussex142149180146
Thames Valley180175185194
Warwickshire56504138
West Mercia160153155159
West Midlands87878895
West Yorkshire156150131114
Wiltshire165145134105
Dyfed Powys58577071
Gwent54557059
North Wales71707290
South Wales150154134176

15 Dec 1998 : Column WA143



   Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page