§ 7. Mr. Swinglerasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the expenditure on the Northern Rhodesian Police Force in 1947, 1952, and last year.
§ Mr. HareRecurrent expenditure for 1947 was £127,663; for 1952, £589,336; for 1954–55, £943,635; Capital expenditure for those years was £3,702, £185,700 and £126,000 respectively.
§ Mr. SwinglerDoes not that phenomenal increase in expenditure upon the police force reveal a most disturbing state of affairs? Does it not mean that the expenditure upon the police in Northern Rhodesia has increased almost seven-fold in seven years? Should not some inquiry be made as to why that is necessary, and would not it be far better to spend a little more money upon meeting the needs of the people instead of spending so much money organising the police force?
§ Mr. HareThe hon. Member does not take into account the rise in population which has taken place in that time. The European population was 27,100 in 1947 463 and has risen to 64,800 today. The number of Africans employed has risen from 160,000 in 1949 to 257,000 today.
§ Mr. StokesSeven times the police for twice the population.