HC Deb 26 October 1989 vol 158 cc1042-3
10. Mr. Pawsey

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has further to increase police establishments.

Mr. Hurd

I will be able to approve a further 1,100 police posts, to be allocated between provincial forces and the Metropolitan police, in 1990–91. I will take advice from Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary on the increases for provincial forces, and I hope to announce the approvals as soon as possible before the end of the year.

Mr. Pawsey

May I thank my right hon. Friend for that typically helpful response? Is he aware that in Warwickshire motorway mileage has increased substantially and police establishments have not kept pace with that growth? Therefore, I should be grateful if my right hon. Friend could reconsider the establishment in Warwickshire, particularly as officers are being taken from the beat to supervise motorways. Will my right hon. Friend comment on the fact that Warwickshire is successfully policed only because of the action of special constables who do a marvellous job? We would be grateful if he were able to reconsider the numbers of police in our county.

Mr. Hurd

I do not know of any police force that does not have a persuasive case for having a good many more police. Warwickshire had an extra 11 men last year and it has applied for another 35. As I have said, I shall consider that carefully when I look at the totals. My hon. Friend is quite right about the specials. He and I spent an impressive Sunday morning at a parade of the Warwickshire specials and I was deeply impressed by the people who came forward to help the community.

Mr. Nellist

Will the Home Secretary consider increasing the police establishment allocated to Mr. Shaw in his investigation of the West Midlands regional crime squad specifically to allow him to go back beyond the two-year limit set for that investigation so that the suspicion that the techniques involved in the Birmingham Six and the Carl Bridgewater murder case, both of which involved disputed confessions, little forensic evidence and officers from that now-disbanded squad, could be properly tackled by the investigation?

Mr. Hurd

There is no limit of time such as the hon. Gentleman suggests. Mr. Shaw is naturally and properly concentrating on those cases, doubts about which caused his inquiry to be set up.