HC Deb 03 November 1988 vol 139 cc1176-7
14. Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received any further representations seeking more police officers in Leicestershire; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

The police authority wrote on 8 September notifying us of a revised application for 89 police posts subject to the county council's decision on the availability of finance. It has been asked to provide some further detail on the make-up of the new application. It will be considered along with applications that have been received from other authorities for increases in 1989–90.

My right hon. Friend is able to approve 800 police posts for provincial forces in 1989–90. This is an increase on the 500 that were available for the present financial year. Demand, however, already exceeds this and he will look to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for advice on how the available posts should be allocated. The aim is to announce decisions around December.

Mr. Vaz

Following the friendly exchange between the Minister and the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr. Latham) on the previous question, may I ask whether the Minister in aware of the deep outrage and anger in Leicestershire against the Government, and the Home Secretary in particular, because of their failure to allocate a single extra police officer for the entire county in this year's allocation? Is he further aware that earlier this year a petition that was launched in my constituency to open Uppingham road police station on a full-time basis and for more police officers to be allocated to the outer estates has attracted more than 10,000 signatures? How long will the Minister persist in his snubbing of the chief constable and the police authority, which represents both political parties, by his refusal to allocate extra police officers to Leicestershire?

Mr. Hogg

The hon. Gentleman does himself less than justice. The matter was raised previously in June 1988 in an Adjournment debate initiated by my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr. Latham), to whom I have just paid tribute. He will be gratified by the hon. Gentleman's support today. As to the figures, I heard very little that was accurate in what the hon. Gentleman said. He will recall that since 1979 the total manpower available to the Leicestershire force, inclusive of civilians, has increased by 187. He will also know that between 1985 and 1987 the process of civilianisation has increased the number of operational officers by 70, and that the process will increase the operational strength by another 82 officers during the next three years. I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman did not congratulate the chief constable on that.

Mr. Speaker

Questions Nos. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.