§ 36. Mr. Brian Parkynasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make regulations to ensure that all police forces abandon height restrictions for recruits of 5 ft. 11 in., 5 ft. 10½ in., 5 ft. 10 in., etc., and instead have a standard height restriction of 5 ft. 8 in. so as to help reduce the man power shortage in the police forces of England and Wales.
§ Mr. TaverneMost of the forces with a serious manpower problem take men of 5 ft. 8 in. My right hon. Friend proposes to review the matter when he has received the report of the Working Party on Manpower set up by the Police Advisory Board for England and Wales.
§ Mr. ParkynI thank my right hon. and learned Friend for that reply, but will he bear in mind that the number of convictions for indictable offences has gone down to only 39.2 per cent., whereas before the war it was more than 50 per cent.? Will he look at the question of bringing the police forces up to full complement as a matter of great urgency?
§ Mr. TaverneWe are looking at this as a matter of great urgency. This question of height will be considered at the end of the year, and it may be that we shall come to some definite conclusion at that stage.