HC Deb 16 February 1984 vol 54 c374
16. Mr. Farr

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the proportion of weapons and crowd control devices held by the police which are manufactured in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Hurd

Records of the place of manufacture of such equipment are not held centrally.

Mr. Farr

Is my right hon. Friend aware that a very sophisticated crowd control weapon was produced by one of our royal ordnance factories, submitted through the Home Office to the Cabinet, and rejected for use in this country? Can he reconsider the matter to determine whether that weapon should be bought to avoid buying from abroad?

Mr. Hurd

I shall certainly look at the matter again. Obviously, our police services prefer to use competitive and reliable British weapons whenever possible. However, it is not always possible to do so.