HC Deb 21 November 1984 vol 68 cc174-7W
Mr. Soley

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the following information on the mining dispute: (a) the number of police sent out of each police force area for duty in connection with the dispute during each week of the dispute; (b) the number of police injured in each police force area; (c) how many were seriously injured; and (d) how many were treated in hospital other than as outpatients.

Mr. Maude

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen to date have been injured while carrying out duties connected with the mining dispute.

Mr. Giles Shaw

The following numbers of police officers have been injured, in the period from 13 March to 16 November inclusive, in dealing with events arising from the miners' dispute:

Police force area Numbers injured
Cleveland 2
Derbyshire 236
Durham 30
Dyfed-Powys 1
Essex 7
Greater Manchester 13
Gwent 1
Humberside 2
Kent 55
Lancashire 1
Leicestershire 1
Merseyside 4
Metropolitan 4
Norfolk 15
Northumbria 32
North Wales 1
North Yorkshire 14
Nottighamshire 130
South Wales 13
South Yorkshire 323
Staffordshire 18
Sussex 2
Thames Valley 2
Warwickshire 1
West Yorkshire 254
Total 1,162

The information requested about the number of police sent out of each police force area for duty in connection with the dispute and about the seriousness of police injuries is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Soley

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in the Official Report the following information; (a) the number of written complaints about police conduct during the dispute received in each police force area and (b) the general nature of these complaints.

Mr. Mellor

The following tables set out the only information which is available centrally. It relates to the period 13 March to 13 November 1984 and indicates the number of complaints received in each police force area (not the number of complaints made about officers of those forces). It does not distinguish between complaints made in writing and those made orally.

Force area Number of complaints
Cheshire 3
Derbyshire 57
Durham 19
Dyfed-Powys 1
Essex 1
Greater Manchester 6
Gwent 15
Humberside 4
Kent 15

Force area Number of complaints
Lancashire 4
Lincolnshire 2
Merseyside 5
Metropolitan 4
Northumbria 16
North Wales 2
North Yorkshire 1
Nottinghamshire 61
South Wales 9
South Yorkshire 159
Staffordshire 6
Thames Valley 1
Warwickshire 23
West Yorkshire 6
All others 0
TOTAL 420

The following table indicates the nature of the allegations made (some of the complaints in the previous table will have related to more than one type of allegation):

Allegation Numbers
Assault 198
Damage 16
Harassment 61
Incivility 83
Irregular Procedure 53
Motoring Offence 7
Neglect of Duty 13
Unlawful arrest 11
Oppressive conduct 31

Mr. Peter Bruinvels

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police have been injured and from which force area in each of the last four weeks whilst policing the mining dispute.

Mr. Giles Shaw

The following numbers of police officers have been injured, in the period from 17 October to 16 November inclusive., in dealing with events arising from the miners' dispute:

Police force area Numbers injured
Derbyshire 17
Durham 8
Dyfed-Powys 1
Greater Manchester 2
Kent 1
Lancashire 1
Northumbria 10
South Wales 6
South Yorkshire 56
West Yorkshire 146
TOTAL 248

The table above gives the police force areas in which the injuries occurred. Information about the police forces from which the injured officers come is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate expense.

Mr. Peter Bruinvels

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has regarding length of time in bringing to court people charged with offences arising out of the mining dispute.

Mr. Mellor

Comprehensive information on the length of time taken to bring people to court in these circumstances could not be collected without disproportionate effort. I would, however, refer my hon. Friend to the estimates recently obtained from certain magistrates' courts which were set out in the reply I gave to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Bedfordshire, North (Mr. Skeet) on 14 November, at columns 240–41.