§ 13. Sir Richard Glynasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in the course of their duty were threatened with firearms, how many were shot at, how many wounded and how many killed by firearms in 1964 and in each subsequent year.
§ Mr. CallaghanThese statistics are fully available for England and Wales only for 1968, when there were 23 offences in which police officers were threatened 676 with firearms, and 12 in which police officers were shot at, including three in which they were injured.
In the years 1964–68 four police officers were murdered by shooting, one in 1965 and three in 1966.
§ Sir Richard GlynWill the Home Secretary agree that there has been a most regrettable increase in the number of cases where police have been shot at or threatened by firearms? Will he further agree that the increase has been most marked since criminals have ceased to be deterred from shooting their way out by fear of capital punishment?
§ Mr. CallaghanI have no information to support the first part of the hon. Member's supplementary question because no such statistics exist before 1968. I have given the hon. Member such inforniation as I have. It is true that the number of indictable offences involving firearms rose in 1967 and 1968; those resulting in physical injury fell. I do not believe that one can draw a parallel between this and the present absence of capital punishment.