§ 34. Sir J. Mellorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will stop the discharge of police war reserves, for disposal by the Minister of Labour, having regard to the consequent strain upon the police and special constabulary.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonNo, Sir. I am very conscious of the heavy burden borne by the police under war conditions, and of the additional strain on their resources which must inevitably result from any further reduction in their establishments; but in view of the general stringency of the man-power position I would not feel justified in re-opening the decision of the Government that the police must make their contribution to help meet the needs of the Armed Forces and of industry. As regards special constables, they have given magnificent service and they deserve any concessions that can be made to them. Chief constables have been asked to review the arrangements for their employment and to reduce as far as possible their hours of duty, but, as my hon. Friend will appreciate, the reduction in the number of regular police renders even more necessary and valuable the services of the special constabulary.
§ Sir J. MellorHow does my right hon. Friend reconcile the two parts of his answer? How does he reconcile the discharge of these men on the one hand, with an alleviation of the duties of special constables on the other?
§ Mr. MorrisonI cannot. All I can say is that I am trying to do the best I can in the circumstances. As a matter of fact, I thought I would put in the bit about the special constables to please my hon. Friend.