§ VISCOUNT ENFIELDsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home 1005 Department, What permanent addition has been made to the numbers of the Metropolitan Police Force; and, whether there is any intention to make any further alteration in the numbers, pay, duties, or organization of the said Force?
§ MR. GATHORNE HARDYI have to state, Sir, that I discovered last autumn that the Metropolitan Police had an amount of work cast on them which prevented their obtaining what I consider essential rest in order to do their work efficiently. In consequence I authorized an addition of 1,000 constables to be made to the force, which will involve 20 Inspectors and 100 Sergeants. The addition, therefore, will comprize a total of 1,120 men. Perhaps I may mention that, even with this increase, the force will not be so large in proportion as it was on its first institution, in 1830, when there were only 106 square miles and 68,000 acres to be watched by the Police. Then there were twenty-eight acres and 448 persons to one Constable; but under the new arrangement there will be fifty-seven acres and 460 persons to each Constable. With respect to the second Question of the noble Lord, I may say that I am now conducting, by means of very skilful persons, full inquiries into the whole condition of the Police, and therefore I am not able to state at present what further steps I may think it necessary to take.